House Passes War Powers Resolution 215-208 as Trump Privately Sets New Red Line and Netanyahu Rift Goes Public

Since the U.S. launched military operations against Iran in late February, the House has attempted four times to invoke the War Powers Resolution — and on Wednesday, June 3, it finally succeeded, passing 215-208 with four Republicans joining Democrats, according to PBS News and AP News.

The resolution directs Trump to halt military action against Iran. It's a rebuke, but it is not a binding end to the war.

Trump will almost certainly veto it. He hasn't acknowledged Congress has any role in this conflict at all — the administration has argued the April ceasefire effectively ended the legal clock. That argument is thin, and everyone in Washington knows it.

House Speaker Mike Johnson had tried to kill this vote. According to PBS News, he abruptly shut down floor action two weeks ago when the resolution was on the verge of passing. It passed anyway this week. Each successive vote has gotten closer. The political math is moving against Trump on this one.

Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, led the effort. "Enough is enough," he said Wednesday. "The people are tired of suffering because of his war of choice."

Rubio Said the War Is 'Over.' It Is Not.

At a Senate Appropriations hearing Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Sen. Cory Booker the war was "over." Booker shot back immediately: "The war is not over."

Rubio was right that he wanted it to be over. He was wrong that it is.

On Tuesday alone, according to USA TODAY, U.S. forces launched "self-defense strikes" on Iran's Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran hit Kuwait, Bahrain, and "civilian marines." Iranian military officials said the strikes were retaliation for a U.S. Navy action that disabled an Iran-bound tanker and hit an Iranian telecommunications antenna.

The Strait of Hormuz remains closed. Rubio confirmed to Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut that reopening the strait is just the "predicate" for Phase 2 negotiations — which could take up to 90 more days, per Reason's reporting. Sanctions won't be lifted just for opening the strait. So we're months away from anything resembling resolution, minimum.

Moody's has estimated the war has already cost Americans roughly $100 billion between military spending and elevated oil prices, according to Reason.

Trump's Private Red Line

The WSJ reports that Trump privately told aides he will NOT resume all-out war with Iran unless U.S. troops are killed. Repeated Iranian strikes have ratcheted up pressure on him, officials told the WSJ, and cast serious doubt on the ceasefire's long-term viability.

Iran can read this signal too.

The Netanyahu Rift Is Now Public

Trump confirmed to reporters that he called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "crazy" during a phone call. He said Israel is "complicating" peace talks with Iran.

The WSJ reports that Trump and Netanyahu — who launched the conflict with what the paper describes as "unprecedented coordination" — are now clashing over two things: Lebanon and the terms of any deal with Tehran.

Iran has been deliberately using Lebanon as a wedge, according to The Hill. Tehran is exploiting the Trump-Netanyahu tensions in peace negotiations. It's working.

The Bipartisan War Coalition

There is a functioning pro-war coalition in Congress that includes both Republican hawks and some Democrats.

Reason documented it clearly. Sen. Lindsey Graham called a potential deal a "nightmare for Israel." Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker warned the truce wouldn't let Trump "finish the job." Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Trump of following in Obama's footsteps.

But Sen. Cory Booker — who called the war "outrageous" in March — is now attacking Trump for trying to END it, telling Rubio that Iran is "getting money to rebuild" through the ceasefire. Sen. John Fetterman accused Trump of trying to "cave to Iran just for political convenience."

This bipartisan pressure is apparently working. The WSJ reports Trump sent back the memorandum of understanding to Iran with tougher new terms after the political backlash hit. The deal that Rubio described as "largely negotiated" on May 23 is now further away than it was two weeks ago.

The Inspector General Is Now Watching

The Pentagon's Office of Inspector General announced Wednesday that Cheryl L. Mason, the Defense Department's top watchdog, has been named lead inspector for the Iran war probe, according to The Hill. Oversight is finally arriving — three months late.

The Strait of Hormuz is still closed. Oil prices are still elevated. Congress passed a symbolic resolution the president will veto. The deal keeps getting harder to close because too many people in Washington — on both sides — benefit politically from the conflict continuing.

Trump started this war. Now he can't end it without being attacked by half his own party and half the Democrats. And Iran knows exactly how to play that dynamic.

Regular Americans are paying the price at the pump and at the grocery store. Nobody in Congress voting to prolong this conflict is losing any sleep over that.