A view of the damaged B1 Bridge, a day after it was destroyed by an airstrike, west of Tehran in Karaj, Iran, on April 3, 2026. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON – The approval gap for President Donald Trump’s war on Iran narrowed slightly in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, as a war powers resolution received a handful of votes but still fell miniature of passage.
The attempt to force Trump to seek congressional approval before taking further action in Iran failed 213-214with one Republican voter present – a smaller decline compared to a 212-219 vote in early March.
Democrats Greg Landsman of Ohio, Juan Vargas of California and Henry Cuellar of Texas voted for the resolution introduced by Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y.
Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, remained the only Democrat in opposition.
Golden said in a statement after the vote that he opposed the War Powers Resolution because it would “weaken our hand.”
“The ostensible goal of this and other warring powers resolutions is to halt hostilities. Fortunately, the United States and Iran are currently in a ceasefire and we are negotiating critical issues of national security and international order. I believe we must maintain a strong negotiating position on Iran’s nuclear program, freedom of movement in international waters in the Strait of Hormuz, and how to achieve lasting peace between our two nations,” Golden said.
Just like he did Beginning of MarchRep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., supported limiting Trump’s military operations in the Middle East without further congressional approval.
Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, changed his support to present on Thursday from “yes” last month.
The vote came a day after the Senate rejected a similar suggestion for the fourth time. The Senate’s voting margin has remained unchanged, with the exception of a few absences.
Ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon
The vote also came just minutes after Trump announced a 10-day deadline on his social media platform Truth Social armistice between Israel and Lebanon, a separate deadly war front that flared up just days after the United States and Israel began their joint attacks on Iran on February 28.
The United States and Iran are now more than halfway through their two-week ceasefire that began on slender soil on April 7th.
Talks with the Iranians led by Vice President JD Vance, collapsed Saturday in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Trump on Thursday repeated his previous claims that the war is coming to an end.
“We’re close to a deal with Iran. You’ll be the first to know,” Trump told reporters at the White House before heading to a planned event in Nevada to promote his no-tax tip policy.
“I think we have a chance. And if that happens, the price of oil will fall sharply, prices will fall, inflation will fall, and more importantly, there won’t be a nuclear holocaust now,” Trump said.
The war is “very close to being over,” Trump said told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo Wednesday. Trump told The New York Post said on Tuesday that peace talks between Iran and the US could resume “in the next two days.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that the U.S. military remains “locked in” on Iran’s “critical dual-use infrastructure,” including power plants and energy infrastructure, if the regime does not comply with U.S. demands.
Strait of Hormuz
The US has been imposing a blockade on ships of any nation entering and leaving Iranian ports and coasts for three days.
Thirteen ships turned back to comply with U.S. Navy orders in the waters east of the narrowest point in the Strait of Hormuz, Chief of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said during a joint news conference Thursday morning at the Pentagon.
US Central Command updated that number to 14 on Thursday morning post.
Caine said more than 10,000 sailors, Marines and airmen are conducting the operation on more than a dozen ships and dozens of aircraft.
Caine said that in addition to the blockade, U.S. forces in all international waters were directed to “actively pursue any Iranian-flagged vessel or any vessel attempting to provide material support to Iran.”
The trouble spot in the Strait of Hormuz has shaken global energy markets and led to massive fuel shortages and rising gas prices. According to AAA, Americans pay an average of $4.09 for a gallon of regular gasoline and $5.61 for a gallon of diesel.
As of Thursday, the war has left 13 American soldiers dead and 398 injured, according to the Pentagon. Thousands of civilians have been killed and injured across the Middle East since the conflict began.
