WASHINGTON — As a U.S.-Iran skirmish intensified, the Republican-led House voted 215-208 on Wednesday to limit President Donald Trump’s Iran war powers despite House Speaker Mike Johnson’s opposition.

The Senate’s final vote is pending, as lawmakers seek to find a balance between the congressional authority to declare war and the commander-in-chief’s power to execute military action.

During his House Foreign Affairs Committee testimony, State Secretary Marco Rubio said that if the resolution passed, it would interfere with the ongoing diplomatic talks because Iranians would think, ”We won’t be able to do anything to them, so why make a deal?”

The U.S. military struck Iran on Feb. 28. The Pentagon referred to it as “Operation Epic Fury,” which Rubio said had concluded. Israel attacked Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on March 2.

There have been skirmishes since the U.S.-Iran ceasefire started on April 7 and the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire started on April 17.

On Wednesday, Iranian drones struck a terminal at the main airport in Kuwait.
“We hit them very hard on something else unrelated, so they were responding,” Trump said.
On Tuesday, U.S. Central Command announced launching strikes on a military facility at Iran’s Qeshm Island, after Iranians fired missiles at Kuwait and Bahrain that had failed.