House Republican introduces bill that includes strict limits on Iran war

GOP Rep. Tom Barrett (Mich.) introduced a bill on Thursday that would require President Trump to wind down the Iran war by the end of July and would impose limits on the scope of the ongoing U.S. military campaign.

Barrett, a 22-year Army veteran who deployed to Iraq and Kuwait, introduced the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) with the House on recess until May 11. 

Under Barrett’s AUMF, the U.S. military can take action to “successfully demolish, degrade, or defeat” Iran’s nuclear weapons program, address “imminent threats” to U.S. forces or facilities, enforce a blockade of Iranian ports — which the U.S. Navy is already imposing — and ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz for American and allied ships, along with any other vessels that Trump “determines appropriate.”

The Michigan Republican’s resolution bars U.S. forces from conducting “sustained” ground combat operations in Iran, occupying, seizing or holding Iranian territory and engaging in “nation-building” or similar measures in the Middle Eastern country. 

“Two things have been clear from the very beginning: Iran cannot be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the United States of America cannot be dragged into another endless war,” Barrett said Thursday in a release. “The Commander in Chief has the sole authority to lead our troops in wartime, but I’ve lost too many friends on the battlefield to allow that........

© The Hill