The House voted 236 to 166 to kill the 2002 Authorization for Military Force (AUMF) on Iraq. The law was drafted during the presidency of George W. Bush to authorize the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and has been used by subsequent administrations to continue military activity in the country – most recently to justify the US drone assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad earlier this month.

The bill was one of two pieces of legislation passed by the House on Thursday aimed at curbing Trump’s warmaking powers. Prior to its passage, a bill prohibiting Trump from using federal funds for "unauthorized military force against Iran” cleared the House floor, again along party lines, with a vote of 228-175.

Though both bills passed the Democrat-controlled House, they will likely be shot down in the Republican-held Senate, or vetoed by Trump if they make it to his desk.

Trump has not threatened military action against Iran in recent weeks, though the bills were written in the aftermath of Soleimani’s killing, when Iran responded by striking Iraqi military bases used by US forces with a flurry of ballistic missiles – prompting fears the US president may launch an all-out offensive on the Islamic Republic.

Ultimately, Trump opted to slap further economic sanctions on Iran rather than use military force.