The US Senate on Thursday failed to override President Donald Trump's veto of a bipartisan measure that would have required him to seek congressional authorization before taking military action against Iran.
Lawmakers voted 49-44 to support the resolution that passed Congress earlier this year, short of the two-thirds majority necessary to override the president's veto of what he called a "very insulting" effort to curb his powers.
In a statement released by the White House, Trump portrayed the measure as not only an encroachment on his presidential powers but also a personal political attack.
“This was a very insulting resolution, introduced by Democrats as part of a strategy to win an election on November 3 by dividing the Republican Party,” the president said. “The few Republicans who voted for it played right into their hands.”
The Republican-led Senate approved the measure on Feb. 13, 55 to 45, with eight Republicans voting in favor. The Democratic-led House approved the measure on March 11, 227 to 186.
In January, Trump ordered a drone strike that killed Iran's most powerful general, Qassem Soleimani, at the Baghdad airport.
The assassination inflamed tensions between the two countries.
Soleimani was widely seen as the architect of Iran's destabilizing activities around the world, but Democrats and experts condemned the decision to kill him as disproportionate and provocative.
It was the seventh veto of Trump's three-year-long presidency. None has been overridden.
The measure would require Trump to remove US troops engaged in hostilities against Iran unless Congress declares war or passes a specific authorization for the use of military force.
