The US House of Representatives has backed a war powers resolution to remove US Armed Forces from hostilities against Iran.
The lower chamber passed the resolution by a vote of 215-208 on Wednesday.
The resolution was introduced by Representative Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Meeks said the passage of the resolution was a "significant bipartisan rebuke" of Trump administration’s "illegal and costly war" in Iran.
The war, he said, has failed to accomplish the Trump administration’s stated goals with respect to Iran.
“If anything, it has pushed a diplomatic resolution of Iran’s nuclear programme further away," Meeks added.
The vote is largely symbolic. Any resolution would also have to pass the Senate to become effective and garner the two-thirds majorities in both chambers to overcome an almost certain Trump veto.
However, it comes after three previous war powers resolutions had failed in the House by increasingly slim margins. And the Senate advanced a separate, but similar resolution last month in a procedural vote, after seven previous attempts had failed.
Democrats have repeatedly pushed votes in both the House and the Senate to limit Trump's war powers, with the effort gradually gaining more Republican backing in recent weeks.
Turning tide
Republicans rejected three attempts to pass a war powers resolution earlier this year, with the most recent one ending in a 212-212 tie.
The vote on Wednesday could give a boost to the resolution in the US Senate, which already passed its own war powers resolution last month but hasn't held a final vote yet.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Pentagon, State Department and USAID inspectors general launched a joint review of the war.
"This joint effort is mandated by Section 419 of the Inspector General Act, which requires the appointment of a Lead Inspector General (Lead IG) upon the commencement or designation of a military operation that exceeds 60 days as an overseas contingency operation, or receipt of a notification thereof," The Office of Inspector General said in a press release.
The War Powers Act requires the US president to notify Congress of military action and withdraw forces within 60 days unless Congress authorises it.
