Omar, Lee introduce House resolution preventing US military action against Iran not authorized by Congress

Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said in a press release Sunday that they would introduce a resolution to invoke the War Powers Act to withdraw U.S. troops from hostilities with Iranian-backed forces in the Middle East.

The resolution released by the two lawmakers would explicitly tie any military action against Iran to a congressional vote, though the U.S. would not be prevented from responding to an Iranian attack.

“We in Congress must exercise our Constitutional duty—and do everything in our power to stop another disastrous war,” Omar said in a statement. “Following the assassination [of Gen. Qassem Soleimani
,] thousands of additional troops were sent to the Middle East in one of the largest rapid deployments seen in decades. This follows years of saber-rattling and threats of war against Iran by President Trump and his accomplices.”

“It’s past time for Congress to reassert our Constitutional authority and return to diplomacy with Iran and our allies,” added Lee, the sole member of Congress to vote against war in Afghanistan in 2001.

The U.S. and Iran have been at the brink of military conflict following the death of Soleimani, head of Iran’s Quds Force, in a U.S. airstrike outside the Baghdad airport just days ago. Soleimani was reportedly in the country for a meeting with Iraq’s prime minister, who has since called for U.S. troops to withdraw from the country.

Progressives including Omar and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) have characterized the killing of Soleimani, a high-ranking Iranian official, as an assassination in official statements, while other Democrats have refused to do so.