…from the National Iranian American Council, Washington, DC

[ Editor’s Note: You just can’t make this stuff up. Congress stepped up to the plate with a surprise unanimous vote attaching an amendment to a Defense authorization bill stating that “no law exists which gives the president power to launch a military strike against the Islamic Republic.”

The National Iranian American Council was the first to publish this yesterday, but I waited until today to get more details. And here they are:

“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,” Congressman Keith 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.

I don’t have words to describe how shocked I am at the unanimous vote. I would have bet a bundle that such a thing in the current Congress would be impossible. Mind blower number two, sort of, it seems there is a total media blackout on this story.

Gosh, who would have the motivation and muscle to do that? Let me know what you think in the comments… Jim W. Dean ]

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– First published … May 23, 2018 –

Good news! The U.S. House just passed the No War with Iran amendment clarifying that Trump and Pompeo do not have authority to launch war against Iran.

This is a big first step in our efforts to rein in Trump’s push to escalate toward war with Iran. For the first time, a Congressional chamber has clarified that Congress has not authorized military action against Iran, which is all the more vital given the hawkish rhetoric coming out of the White House and State Department.

The amendment – offered by Representatives Keith Ellison (D-MN), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Jim McGovern (D-MA), and Walter Jones (R-NC) – is now in the House’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act. The bill is likely to be passed out of the House later this week.

Our work is not over. The amendment could be stripped out in negotiations with the Senate, as has happened to both productive and dangerous amendments in the past.

We will be in touch with ways you can help ensure that Donald Trump ultimately has to sign the No War with Iran amendment.

Thank you for all that you do.

Best,

Jamal Abdi

Executive Director

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See the PressTV story on it here.