U.S. Congress and Iran Policy

The U.S. House of Representatives approved a nonbinding resolution on Thursday reaffirming that Iran 'remains the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism,' passing it 372–53 with two voting present, all in opposition from Democrats. Sponsored by Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., the measure declares it U.S. policy that Iran continues to be the largest state sponsor of terrorism and cites Pentagon figures attributing at least 603 U.S. service‑member deaths in Iraq to Iranian‑backed militias, as well as Iran’s support for Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis and its growing stockpile of enriched uranium. Members of the progressive 'Squad' were among those voting no, and California Democrat Lateefah Simon argued the resolution contains 'inaccuracies' and is being used to justify President Trump’s ongoing military campaign against Iran rather than change any actual policy. GOP backers like Rep. Julie Fedorchak called the vote an important signal of resolve amid classified briefings about Iran’s nuclear and missile ambitions, while some Democrats such as Rep. Adam Smith supported it while still criticizing aspects of Trump’s Iran strategy. The roll‑call exposes a fault line inside the Democratic caucus over how strongly to embrace hawkish language on Iran at a time when the administration is waging an undeclared war and invoking Tehran’s terrorism ties to defend it.