The US House of Representatives on Thursday approved H Con Res 83, directing the president pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution to terminate the use of the US Armed Forces to engage in hostilities in or against Iran, after a drone strike killed Qassim Suleimani, Iran’s top military commander last Friday.

Section 1(a)(3) of the resolution provides that in “matters of imminent armed attacks, the executive branch should indicate to Congress why military action was necessary within a certain window of opportunity, the possible harm that missing the window would cause, and why the action was likely to prevent future disastrous attacks against the United States.” It also finds that the War Powers Resolution “requires the President to consult with Congress ‘in every possible instance’ before introducing United States Armed Forces into hostilities.” However, “Congress has not authorized the President to use military force against Iran.”

Section 1(b) requires that, pursuant to the section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, the President may not continue to use the US Armed Forces “to engage in hostilities in or against Iran or any part of its government or military,” unless “Congress has declared war or enacted specific statutory authorization for such use of the Armed Forces,” or “such use of the Armed Forces is necessary and appropriate to defend against an imminent armed attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its Armed Forces, consistent with the requirements of the War Powers Resolution.”