The US House of Representatives has voted for a third time to end the war in Iran, approving a war powers resolution that would prevent President Donald Trump from continuing military operations without congressional approval.
The 220-204 vote late Tuesday was similar to previous efforts this summer, although several more Republicans joined Democrats in backing the measure.
None of the resolutions have reached the president's desk, where Trump would almost certainly veto such a measure.
"Remember when Donald Trump said that this war would last just a few weeks?" said Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., who served as a Marine during the Iraq War and helped advance the resolution.
He said Congress should now "actually ask tough questions, as the Constitution directs us to do, rather than be subservient to another warmongering administration."
Republican Rep. Brian Mast of Florida, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, questioned what military resources Democrats would seek to withdraw from the region, where he said Iran continues to pose a threat.
Mast said Trump opposes "forever wars, and that is what he is ending" — referring to decades of hostilities involving Iran.
"They are a continuous ongoing threat to the United States," Mast said. "Enough is enough."
Last war powers vote before midterm elections
Tuesday's action is likely to be the final House vote on the Iran war before the midterm elections, with the conflict playing a significant role in political campaigns.
The war, launched by Trump on Feb. 28, has continued for nearly seven months, marked by intermittent and deadly missile exchanges that have caused widespread disruption across the region.
Lawmakers are scheduled to return home at the end of the week and campaign almost full-time, with fewer than 50 days remaining before elections that will determine control of Congress as Democrats seek to take power from Republicans.
Americans are also dealing with high prices, particularly at gas stations, as the conflict disrupts the movement of oil through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
The Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday that the war had cost more than $38 billion as of Aug. 1. It estimated that the conflict is costing between $2 billion and $3 billion each month, depending on the intensity of the fighting.
The budget office also projected that inflation would be 0.5 percentage points higher than previously expected heading into 2027 because of the war.
Trump had promised during his successful bid for a second term that he would not involve the United States in foreign wars. His actions against Iran are now weighing on the Republican Party, which controls both the House and Senate.
An AP-NORC poll conducted in July found that most Americans believe the war in Iran has not been worth fighting.
In previous House votes, four Republicans supported efforts to end the war. That number increased to seven in Tuesday's vote.
They included Republican lawmakers from battleground Iowa, Reps. Zachary Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, as well as retiring Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina.
They were joined by GOP Reps. Tom Barrett of Michigan, Warren Davidson of Ohio, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Thomas Massie of Kentucky.
All House Democrats also voted in favor of the war powers resolution.
War powers authority put to the test
Congress has made repeated attempts to influence the course of the war against Iran, but efforts to restrict the Trump administration's military operations face slim prospects as long as the president can block or veto the measures.
The House approved its first war powers resolution in June and passed another in July, with both seeking to end US military action against Iran.
The Senate also approved a war powers resolution to end the conflict on its 10th attempt, but Republican senators reversed course the following day after Trump criticized them during a closed-door lunch.
The US Constitution grants Congress the authority to declare war while also giving the president, as commander in chief, the power to undertake certain military operations.
The War Powers Act, enacted after the Vietnam War, attempted to establish more specific limits on presidential military authority. It requires congressional approval for sustained military action after 60 or 90 days.
House Speaker Mike Johnson acknowledged at a news conference Tuesday that gas prices need to come down.
However, the Republican speaker said he believes the conflict with Iran is entering a "new phase" as allies increase their efforts to help stabilize the region.
Once that happens, Johnson said, "you're going to see, as the president said, anytime gas prices will go down again, the cost of groceries will as well."
Johnson said Trump expects the shift to take place after the election, adding, "I'd love it to happen today."