More Republicans Join Democrats To Force End To Iran War. President Has Said Conflict Is Not A War.

More Republicans have voted with Democrats in support of the latest bill seeking to force the end of the Iran war.

Concretely, seven members of the GOP joined Democrats in voting to pass the bill, compared to four in the last vote.

President Trump launched the Iran war on February 28 without the approval of Congress. He claimed that he had authority to do so because it was a limited military operation needed to defend America and not a declaration of war.

Critics contend that Trump, by bombing Iran's capital and killing the country's leadership, took the nation to war through his actions and violated the Constitution, which determines that only Congress can declare war.

For example, before President George W. Bush launched the Iraq war, Congress voted to authorize the use of force. The debate and subsequent vote proved politically consequential in the 2008 presidential campaign as Hillary Clinton, who voted in favor of the resolution in 2002 in the Senate, was dogged by her initial support for the conflict and ultimately lost in the Democratic primaries to Barack Obama. Obama had voted against the resolution.

Democrats have now brought measures meant to end the Iran war three times. Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Tom Barrett of Michigan, Warren Davidson of Ohio, and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania had already voted with Democrats in the previous measure.

On Tuesday, three new Republicans joined in: Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn, who both represent districts in Iowa, and Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina.

In a post on X, Nunn stated that the sustained conflict needs the authorization of Congress to continue.

"Iowa has already paid a devastating price, including two service members killed by an Iranian drone in Kuwait," Dunn wrote. "Congress owes them, their families, and every American in uniform clear objectives and constitutional oversight. With the negotiating window closed, sustained combat operations now require congressional authorization."

"Having deployed multiple times and flown over 700 combat hours in the Middle East, I will not support another open-ended war," Nunn stated. "We can defend Americans, pressure Iran, and pursue peace while ensuring Congress fulfills its constitutional responsibility."

According to the polling website Silver Bulletin, which analyzes numerous polls and creates a composite score, support for the war has never been above 40 percent. Currently, the site has support for the war at 34.1 percent, while 58.2 percent oppose the war.