US House passes third resolution in four months attempting to curb US military presence in Iran

The Democrat-sponsored resolution was submitted in April and passed Tuesday with a 220-204 vote, with seven Republicans voting in favor. 

The US House of Representatives passed a resolution on Tuesday designed to severely limit US military action in Iran, directing US President Donald Trump to remove all US Armed Forces from the Islamic Republic "other than those elements of the Armed Forces that may be necessary to defend [US and allies] from imminent attack."

The Democrat-sponsored resolution was originally submitted in April and passed Tuesday with a 220-204 vote, with seven Republicans voting in favor.

It was the third time the House has passed a similar war powers resolution, according to a report from Washington-based news outlet The Hill, but the number of Republicans in support increased from four to seven.

"Iran must be held accountable for killing Americans, supporting terrorism, threatening the Strait of Hormuz, and pursuing nuclear weapons," Rep. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa), one of the Republicans who voted in favor, wrote in an X/Twitter post on Wednesday morning.

"Having deployed multiple times and flown over 700 combat hours in the Middle East, I will not support another open-ended war," he said.

The House first approved a war powers resolution in June, marking a significant shift in the House, which had previously blocked several war powers resolutions aimed at restricting the administration's authority over the conflict. The House approved a second one in July.

US Republican lawmaker Massie seeks Hegseth's impeachment over Iran war

This latest resolution came as Republican US Representative Thomas Massie filed articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing him of abusing his office by executing an order for hostilities against Iran without approval by Congress.

Massie filed his articles of impeachment against Hegseth on Tuesday as privileged, meaning the House must take them up within two legislative days.

The impeachment resolution is unlikely to pass, but the maneuver by the Kentucky Republican could force a vote in the chamber that could be difficult for some of his fellow Republicans as they prepare to leave Washington before November's midterm elections.

Massie, an outspoken critic of the war on Iran and aid to Israel, is not up for reelection. He lost his primary in May to a candidate backed by Trump after Massie angered the president by leading a push to release Justice Department files tied to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Massie was defeated by Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL backed by Trump and bolstered by heavy spending by pro-Israel groups.