Republican members of Congress defected – and the House of Representatives voted to end the war

US President Donald Trump suffered a rare blow tonight (between Wednesday and Thursday) in the US House of Representatives, who approved a proposal designed to promote the end of the war in Iran. The proposal, mainly declarative, was advanced by the Democrats in opposition to the White House’s position but was approved thanks to the support of 4 Republicans who crossed the lines – and symbolizes the growing political opposition to the war.

The resolution instructs Trump to withdraw US forces from the war against Iran, unless Congress approves the continuation of the war. However, the decision will not oblige Trump to actually end the conflict, since it needs Senate approval and its legal status is unclear.

The president commented on the vote in a post he published today on the Truth network, claiming that it was an “unpatriotic” step. He added and called the vote “meaningless”, claimed that the Democrats would rather the US fail than give him a victory, and that the Republicans who supported the vote should be “ashamed of themselves”.

Three previous attempts to pass similar resolutions have been rejected in recent months, with the latest proposal ending in a tie. But tonight the opponents of the war outnumbered its supporters, and the proposal was approved by a majority of 215 supporters against 208 opponents. Trump and his top advisers have rejected any attempt by Congress to limit his powers in waging war, arguing that it is unconstitutional.

The decision symbolizes a rebuke by Congress to President Trump, and reflects the opposition in American public opinion to the war – an opposition that also permeates the Republican Party. The Republican leadership postponed the vote on the proposal that was supposed to take place two weeks ago after realizing that it was likely to pass, but even in the two weeks that passed they were unable to change the situation and had to allow the vote.

Shortly before the vote, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said that approving the resolution would be a “very dangerous move” and that it would “weaken” the president’s ability as commander-in-chief to continue working to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. Although most Republicans opposed the proposal, the president is facing pressure to end the war as quickly as possible from his own party as well.