President Trump has told aides he will only scrap the fragile Iran-U.S. ceasefire if Tehran kills American troops, even as the House of Representatives voted to curb his ability to take further military action in the conflict.
The private red line, shared with senior officials in recent days, shows Trump’s reluctance to descend further into another Middle East war.
It comes despite repeated skirmishes, Iranian strikes on U.S. ally Kuwait, and American airstrikes on Iranian targets in the days leading up to a House vote on Wednesday, June 3.
Bipartisan Lawmakers Break Ranks in 215–208 Vote
The House passed a resolution 215-208 that seeks to block Trump from escalating military operations against Iran without fresh congressional approval.
Four Republicans, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Tom Barrett of Michigan, and Warren Davidson of Ohio, joined Democrats in the rare bipartisan rebuke.
It marked the fourth time the House has tried to rein in the president’s war powers since the conflict began in February.
“This is about Congress doing its job,” Barrett said after the vote. “Congress alone declares war, and we need to protect that.”
The measure now heads to the Republican-controlled Senate, where a similar resolution advanced in May but has stalled.
Senate Battle and Expected Veto Could Stall Resolution
Even if it passes both chambers, Trump is expected to veto it. Overriding a veto would require a two-thirds majority in each house, a high bar that appears out of reach.
Democrats described the vote as a direct challenge to what they call an unauthorized and costly war.
Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called it “a significant bipartisan rebuke of President Trump’s illegal and costly war in Iran.”
Meeks said the conflict has failed to achieve its goals, driven up fuel prices in the United States, and impeded efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear program.
“More and more Republicans are listening to their constituents who do not want another open-ended war in the Middle East,” he added, as first reported by BBC.
The fighting erupted earlier this year after months of rising tensions. U.S. and Israeli forces carried out major strikes on Iranian military sites in February.
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Iran responded with missile attacks and proxy actions across the region. A ceasefire took hold in April, but both sides have continued to carry out limited strikes.
The U.S. hit Iranian targets as recently as this week, with Trump describing some Iranian responses as “reciprocating” after American action.
In public remarks at the White House on Wednesday, Trump struck a more optimistic tone, saying that negotiations to end the conflict were “going very well” and could wrap up as soon as this weekend.
“We hit them pretty hard the night before, and actually last night,” Trump told reporters. “Some people would say they were slightly provoked… but in theory they’re pretty close to signing a paper. We’ve actually gotten along with them very well.”
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He added that most of his team wants a deal “without killing everybody.”
Behind the scenes, however, Trump’s guidance to aides has been more cautious. According to people familiar with the discussions, he has made it clear that smaller provocations, tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, and even attacks on allies won’t automatically trigger a return to full-scale strikes.
Only the deaths of American service members would cross his personal threshold for ending the pause.
This position has drawn sharp criticism from some hawks in his own party and outside supporters, who see it as signaling weakness.
Others say it shows a pragmatic desire to avoid being sucked into a long conflict before the midterm elections.
Trump has asserted his first strikes degraded Iran’s military capabilities and brought Tehran back to the table.
