Murkowski flip puts 3 Republicans against Trump’s Iran war in close Senate vote

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the only member of his party to oppose the measure to end the war.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Growing Republican resistance to President Donald Trump’s military campaign against Iran narrowed a Senate vote on a war powers resolution to 49-50 on Wednesday, after Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky in backing an effort to limit further military action.

Despite the shift, the resolution failed, leaving most Senate Republicans aligned behind Operation Epic Fury and the administration’s position that Trump does not require additional congressional approval for the ongoing conflict.

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the only member of his party to oppose the measure, which Democrats have repeatedly forced onto the Senate floor to pressure Republicans and highlight opposition to the war ahead of the midterm elections.

The latest vote came after Congress passed the 60-day deadline to formally weigh in on the fighting and hours after Trump arrived in China.

Senior Trump administration officials, including Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, argued that the 60-day requirement was no longer relevant because military operations had paused under a ceasefire arrangement.

Trump, however, said Tuesday that the ceasefire remained unstable after rejecting Iran’s latest proposal, and said the truce was on “life support.”

The White House has maintained that the administration’s military operations against Iran have not required a formal declaration of war or additional authorization from Congress, even as attacks continued in the Strait of Hormuz.

Congress retains the option of voting on an Authorization for Use of Military Force, or AUMF, that could either formally approve or halt future military action involving Iran.

Some Republicans argued that passing such a measure would strengthen Trump’s legal position in continuing the conflict.

Murkowski had warned earlier in May that she would seek to bring an AUMF to the Senate floor unless the administration provided greater clarity regarding its objectives or there were indications that negotiations toward a peace agreement were advancing.

The vote marked the closest Senate challenge to Trump’s Iran policy since fighting began, though Republican support for the administration remained largely intact.