A view of the damaged B1 Bridge, a day after it was destroyed by an airstrike, on April 3, 2026, west of Tehran in Karaj, Iran. (Photo: Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON – The approval gap for President Donald Trump’s war on Iran narrowed slightly Thursday in the U.S. House of Representatives as the war powers resolution gained a few votes, although it was still close to passing.
An attempt to force Trump to seek congressional approval before taking further action on Iran failed 213-214with one Republican voting, which means less daylight compared to the 212-219 result in early March.
Democrats Greg Landsman of Ohio, Juan Vargas of California and Henry Cuellar of Texas voted in favor of the resolution brought to the floor by Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y.
Rep. Jared Golden of 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 purported purpose of this and other war power resolutions is to deter hostilities. Fortunately, the United States and Iran are currently in a ceasefire and we are negotiating on key 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 in beginning of MarchRepublican Thomas Massie has supported limiting Trump’s military activities in the Middle East without further congressional approval.
Rep. Ohio State’s Warren Davidson changed his endorsement from a “yes” vote last month to a “present” vote on Thursday.
The vote took place the day after the Senate meeting rejected a similar proposal for the fourth time. The Senate’s vote margin was unchanged except for a few absences.
Ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon
The vote also took place minutes after Trump announced a 10-day shutdown on his Truth Social social media platform cease-fire between Israel and Lebanon, a separate deadly war front that erupted just days after the United States and Israel launched joint attacks on Iran on February 28.
Meanwhile, the United States and Iran are more than halfway through a two-week ceasefire that began the next day uncertain ground April 7.
Talks with the Iranians, led by Vice President JD Vance, he fell Saturday in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Trump on Thursday repeated his earlier claims that the war was ending.
“We’re very close to a deal with Iran. You’ll be the first to know about it,” Trump told reporters at the White House before leaving for a planned event in Nevada to promote his no-tax-on-tips policy.
“I think we have a chance. And if that happens, oil will drop significantly, prices will drop significantly, inflation will drop significantly, and much more importantly than that, there won’t be a nuclear holocaust right now,” Trump said.
Trump “is very close to ending the war.” he said On Wednesday, Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo. Trump he said the New York Post 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 will remain “locked and burdened” with Iran’s “critical dual-use infrastructure,” including power plants and energy infrastructure, if the regime does not meet U.S. demands.
Strait of Hormuz
The United States has been blocking ships of any country from entering Iran’s ports and coast for three days.
Thirteen ships have turned back to comply with U.S. Navy orders in waters east of the Strait of Hormuz’s narrowest point, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said during a joint news conference Thursday morning from the Pentagon.
U.S. 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 a dozen ships and dozens of planes.
Caine said that in addition to the blockade, U.S. forces in all international waters were ordered to “actively pursue any vessel flying an Iranian flag or any vessel attempting to provide material support to Iran.”
The flashpoint in the Strait of Hormuz has rocked global energy markets, causing massive fuel shortages and soaring 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 fuel.
According to the Pentagon, 13 American soldiers were killed and 398 were wounded in the war. Since the beginning of the conflict, thousands of civilians have been killed and injured throughout the Middle East.
