U.S. Senate passes resolution on ending war with Iran
The U.S. Senate passed a resolution stating that the Washington administration should cease military actions against Iran.
Fifty senators voted in favor of the document, and 48 against. Four lawmakers from the ruling Republican Party of the U.S. voted for the resolution. Only one senator among the Democrats opposed it. A similar document was approved by the House of Representatives of Congress in early June.
In this case, it refers to a resolution that is adopted separately in each chamber of Congress. It has no legal force and is advisory in nature. In such documents, legislators express their position. The executive branch of the U.S. government has the right to ignore them.
The resolution emphasizes that U.S. President Donald Trump should "withdraw U.S. armed forces from combat operations against the Islamic Republic of Iran." This must be done provided that combat operations against Iran have not been approved by Congress, and also if the presence of these forces is not necessary to protect the U.S. or its allies from an attack.
The U.S. Constitution grants the power to declare war not to the president, but to Congress. Nevertheless, in recent decades, American leaders have interpreted very broadly the permissions granted to them by legislators to use military force abroad, including to launch operations that are in fact fundamentally new.
Washington and Tehran previously signed a memorandum of understanding providing for the immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including in Lebanon. On June 21, U.S.-Iran talks mediated by Doha and Islamabad on the implementation of the memorandum took place in Bürgenstock. As noted in a joint statement by Pakistan and Qatar at the conclusion of the first round of negotiations, the meeting with the participation of representatives of Iran and the U.S. was held in a positive and constructive atmosphere, encouraging progress was achieved, including the creation of a foundation for further technical negotiations.
