The US House of Representatives has passed a surprise amendment that bans President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from declaring a war on Iran without the Congress’s prior approval.
The bipartisan amendment, known as the No War With Iran amendment, received unanimous approval from the House on Wednesday as part of the US National Defense Authorization Act of 2019.
The amendment, introduced by Democratic Representative Keith Maurice Ellison and cosponsored by a number of other Democratic as well as Republican lawmakers, made clear Congress’s position that no law exists which gives the president power to launch a military strike against the Islamic Republic.
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The amendment deals a blow to the neo-conservative warhawks in the Pentagon, as well as the Israeli lobby, who have been working towards a full-scale war with Iran through a series of carefully orchestrated public relations maneuvers designed to shape public opinion, as well as the deployment of false flag events in Syria.
The surprise amendment, which has been met with fury in Israel, has been met with almost total media silence in the United States mainstream press.
PressTV reports: The announcement came two weeks after Washington unilaterally walked out of a multilateral nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed between Iran and major powers in 2015. The move was construed by many as a declaration of war against Tehran.
“The unanimous passage of this bipartisan amendment is a strong and timely counter to the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the Iran deal and its increasingly hostile rhetoric,” Rep. Ellison said.
“This amendment sends a powerful message that the American people and Members of Congress do not want a war with Iran. Today, Congress acted to reclaim its authority over the use of military force,” he added.
Congresswoman Barbara Lee threw her support behind the measure and said, “I am pleased with the inclusion of this amendment, which clarifies that the President does not have the authority to go to war with Iran.”
“It is more important than ever to ensure diplomacy with Iran and in the region. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this important amendment and will do everything in my power to ensure we do not go to war with Iran,” she noted.
CongresswomanJan Schakowsky also said, “This amendment’s historic passage affirms the fact that the American people do not want to go to war with Iran.”
Since the JCPOA Implementation Day in January 2016, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been monitoring Iran’s compliance with its nuclear-related commitments under the nuclear deal and has consistently verified the Islamic Republic’s compliance.
President Trump announced on May 8 that Washington was walking away from the nuclear agreement which was reached between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the US, Britain, France, Russia and China – plus Germany.
Trump also said he would reinstate US nuclear sanctions on Iran and impose “the highest level” of economic bans on the Islamic Republic.
Iran has said it would remain in the JCPOA for now, pending negotiations with the other signatories in the coming weeks before making a final decision on its future role in the agreement. Tehran wants the Europeans to give it clear-cut guarantees about fulfilling their obligations if it remains in the accord.
