Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1623 EAT on Wednesday 16 September 2026

For the third time, the US House of Representatives has voted to end the war in Iran, approving a war powers resolution seeking to halt President Donald Trump’s ability to continue military action without congressional approval.

The 220-204 vote late Tuesday mirrored earlier attempts this summer, with a few more Republicans joining all Democrats in supporting the measure.

Seven House Republicans backed the resolution, including three who voted in favour for the first time.

Iowa Republican Congressman Zach Nunn explained his vote, saying that “with the negotiating window closed, sustained combat operations now require congressional authorization.”

“I will not support another open-ended war,” Nunn said.

None of the resolutions has reached the president’s desk, where Trump would almost certainly veto the measure.

Mast said Trump was opposed to “forever wars” and was ending what he described as decades of hostilities involving Iran.

“They are a continuous ongoing threat to the United States,” Mast said. “Enough is enough.”

Midterm Elections Loom

The vote is likely to be the House’s last on the Iran war before the midterm elections, with the conflict playing a significant role in political campaigns.

The war, launched by Trump on February 28, has continued for nearly seven months, with intermittent deadly missile strikes exchanged across the region, causing widespread disruption.

Lawmakers are expected to return to their home districts at the end of the week to campaign almost full-time, with fewer than 50 days remaining before the midterm elections that will determine control of Congress. Democrats are seeking to wrest control from Republicans.

US War on Iran

The US war on Iran is worsening inflation and depleting the country’s munitions stockpiles, according to a report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

The report, released on Tuesday, estimated that the six-month war has cost $38 billion, with the figure expected to rise by $3 billion per month. It also projected that the conflict would increase inflation by 0.5 percentage points in the first three months of 2027.

Trump had pledged not to involve the US in foreign wars when he won a second term in the White House. However, his military action against Iran is weighing on the Republican Party, which controls both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Most Americans believe the war in Iran has not been worth fighting, according to an AP-NORC poll conducted in July.

Previous War Powers Resolutions

Congress has repeatedly sought to change the course of the war against Iran, but efforts to limit the Trump administration’s military action remain unlikely to succeed as long as the president can block or veto the measures.

The House first approved a war powers resolution in June, followed by another in July. Both sought to halt US military action in Iran.

The Senate also approved a war powers resolution to end the conflict on its 10th attempt. However, Republican senators reversed course the following day after Trump criticised them during a closed-door lunch.

The US Constitution gives Congress the authority to declare war, while also granting the president, as commander-in-chief, the power to undertake certain military actions.

The War Powers Resolution, enacted after the Vietnam War, sought to place specific time limits on the president’s authority to conduct military operations without congressional approval. It generally requires the withdrawal of US forces within 60 days of their introduction into hostilities, with a possible 30-day extension for safe withdrawal, unless Congress authorises continued military action.

-Aljazeera

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