The Republican-led US House of Representatives has approved a resolution to block President Donald Trump from continuing the war against Iran, reflecting growing concern among members of his party about the three-month-old conflict.
The House on Wednesday voted 215 to 208, as four Republicans voted with Democrats in favour of the war powers resolution. It was the latest setback for Trump in Congress despite his party's slim majorities in both the House and Senate.
The vote is largely symbolic. Any resolution would also have to pass the Senate to become effective, and garner the two-thirds majorities in both chambers to overcome an almost certain Trump veto.
The vote, nonetheless, reflects unease among some Republicans over Trump's handling of the conflict and marks a rare bipartisan effort to curb presidential war powers.
The war has entered a fourth month with no end in sight and after three previous war powers resolutions had failed in the House by increasingly slim margins.
The Senate advanced a separate, but similar resolution in May in a procedural vote, after seven previous attempts had failed. The four House Republicans who voted for the war powers resolution were Representatives Tom Barrett of Michigan, Warren Davidson of Ohio, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Thomas Massie of Kentucky.
No Democrats voted against it, although seven House members did not vote.
Trump recently has faced some opposition in Congress, after months in which very few Republicans pushed back against any of his policy initiatives.
