US House Votes Down Bid to Limit Trump's War Powers By Narrowest of Margins
The US House of Representatives by the slimmest of margins defeated a Democratic-led resolution that sought to stop the war in Iran until hostilities are approved by Congress.
The House voted 212 to 212 in the bid to rein in President Donald Trump's military campaign -- meaning the resolution failed because it needed a simple majority to pass.
It was the third vote this year in the House on an Iran war powers resolution, but it was the first since the conflict reached a 60-day deadline on May 1 for Trump to come to Congress about the war.
Trump asserted at that time that a cease-fire had officially "terminated" hostilities against Iran.
The votes have been getting narrower, with Republicans holding just a slim majority.
On April 16, the last war powers resolution failed in a 213-214 vote, with one member voting "present."
Votes also have been getting tighter in the Senate. A war powers resolution was blocked 50-49 on May 13 as three Republicans joined every Democrat except one in voting to advance the measure. In the event of a tie in the Senate, Trump's vice president, JD Vance, would cast the deciding vote.
With reporting by Reuters
We are now closing the live blog for the day. We'll be back at 7:30 a.m. Central European time to cover the latest events across the Middle East.
China Calls For 'Lasting Cease-Fire' In Middle East
China's Foreign Ministry on May 15 called for a lasting truce in the Middle East and said shipping lanes should be reopened "as soon as possible."
"A comprehensive and lasting cease-fire should be reached as soon as possible to facilitate the early restoration of peace and stability in the Middle East and the Gulf region," the ministry said in a statement.
"Shipping lanes should be reopened as soon as possible in response to the calls of the international community," it added without specifically mentioning the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively closed since the outbreak of war on February 28.
Trump Suggests Losing Patience With Tehran, But Appears To Ease Demands On Uranium
US President Donald Trump expressed frustration with Tehran for its refusal to accept a US peace deal, but he appeared to back off demands that Iran must allow its supply of enriched uranium to be removed from the country.
"I am not going to be much more patient. They should make a deal," Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity in an interview broadcast on May 14 and conducted in China, where the US president is on a visit to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
On Iran's supply of enriched uranium, Trump said: "I just feel better if I got it, actually, but it's -- I think, it's more for public relations than it is for anything else."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said in recent comments that the war with Iran was "not over" because the nuclear material "has to be taken out" of the country.
In past comments, Trump has said Tehran's supply of enriched uranium -- which could be used to make a nuclear bomb -- would be transported out of Iran with or without the government's approval.
"We'll go down and get it with them, and then we'll take it. We'll be getting it together because by that time, we'll have an agreement and there's no need for fighting when there's an agreement. Nice right? That's better. We would have done it the other way if we had to," he told CBS last month.
Still, even as he complained about the lack of agreement by Tehran, he said current leaders there are “reasonable” people. Most of Iran's previous leadership was killed in US-Israeli air strikes that began on February 28.
Meanwhile, earlier on May 14, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC News that China and the US agree that the Strait of Hormuz should not be "militarized."
Speaking on NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas, Rubio said Trump discussed the strait with Xi during his Beijing meeting on May 14.
“The Chinese side said they are not in favor of militarizing the Strait of Hormuz, and they’re not in favor of a tolling system, and that’s our position,” Rubio said.
Since the beginning of the US-Israeli war with Iran on February 28, Tehran has effectively closed the key strait and charged tolls -- up to $2 million -- for some ships to pass through. The US has also imposed a naval blockade on ships going to and from Iran.
In addition to charging tolls on ships passing through the strait -- which Iran claims sovereignty over -- Tehran has proposed implementing a permanent tolling system on all nonhostile traffic.
Rubio denied that Trump had asked Xi for China's help with the war in Iran. "He didn’t ask him for anything. I mean, we're not asking for China's help," Rubio said. "We don't need their help.”
Trump said Xi had offered to help end the Iran war during talks in Beijing, saying Xi “would love to” assist and “would like to see a deal made.”
China is regarded as one of Iran’s most important suppliers of military equipment alongside Russia.
Elsewhere, The New York Times, citing current and former senior US officials, reported that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had carried out separate strikes inside Iran during the war prior to a cease-fire was announced in April.
The report said it was the first time the two Arab countries -- both allies of the US -- had directly attacked Iran.
No details were available and the two Arab countries did not confirm the strikes.
With reporting by dpa and Fox
US Says Israel-Lebanon Talks 'Positive,' Will Continue On May 15
A senior State Department official said talks between Israel and Lebanon on a potential extension of the current cease-fire were "positive" and will resume on May 15 for a second day.
“We had a full day of productive and positive talks that lasted from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. We look forward to continuing this tomorrow and hope to have more to share then,” the official said after the first day of US-brokered talks in Washington.
The cease-fire, which has been put in danger amid continued Israeli strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, ends on May 17.
A militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon, Hezbollah is considered a terrorist organization by the US, while the European Union has blacklisted its armed wing but not its political branch.
US House Votes Down Bid to Limit Trump's War Powers By Narrowest of Margins
The US House of Representatives by the slimmest of margins defeated a Democratic-led resolution that sought to stop the war in Iran until hostilities are approved by Congress.
The House voted 212 to 212 in the bid to rein in President Donald Trump's military campaign -- meaning the resolution failed because it needed a simple majority to pass.
It was the third vote this year in the House on an Iran war powers resolution, but it was the first since the conflict reached a 60-day deadline on May 1 for Trump to come to Congress about the war.
Trump asserted at that time that a cease-fire had officially "terminated" hostilities against Iran.
The votes have been getting narrower, with Republicans holding just a slim majority.
On April 16, the last war powers resolution failed in a 213-214 vote, with one member voting "present."
Votes also have been getting tighter in the Senate. A war powers resolution was blocked 50-49 on May 13 as three Republicans joined every Democrat except one in voting to advance the measure. In the event of a tie in the Senate, Trump's vice president, JD Vance, would cast the deciding vote.
With reporting by Reuters
Xi 'Would Love To' Help Broker Iran Deal, Trump Says
US President Donald Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping had offered to help end the Iran war during talks in Beijing, saying Xi “would love to” assist and “would like to see a deal made”.
Trump told Fox News on May 14 that Xi also wanted the Strait of Hormuz kept open, a key concern for China as the world’s biggest buyer of Iranian oil and a major importer of energy supplies via the Persian Gulf.
Trump added that Xi had agreed to stop providing military goods to Iran, although there was no immediate confirmation from Beijing.
China is regarded as one of Iran’s most important suppliers of military equipment alongside Russia.
With reporting by dpa and The Wall Street Journal
Rubio: US And China Agree Against Militarizing Hormuz
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told NBC News that China and the US agree that the Strait of Hormuz should not be "militarized."
Speaking on NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas, Rubio said that President Donald Trump discussed the strait with Chinese President Xi Jinping at talks in Beijing on May 14. “The Chinese side said they are not in favor of militarizing the Strait of Hormuz, and they’re not in favor of a tolling system, and that’s our position,” Rubio said.
Since the beginning of the US-Israeli war with Iran on February 28, Tehran has effectively closed the key strait and charged tolls -- up to $2 million -- for some ships to pass through. The US has also imposed a naval blockade on ships going to and from Iran.
In addition to charging tolls on ships passing through the strait -- which Iran claims sovereignty over -- Tehran has proposed implementing a permanent tolling system on all nonhostile traffic.
Rubio denied that Trump had asked Xi for China's help with the war in Iran.“He didn’t ask him for anything. I mean, we're not asking for China's help," Rubio said. "We don't need their help.”
Rubio said the two presidents had identified common ground on Iran, with China again reaffirming its opposition to Tehran acquiring nuclear weapons.
“I don't know there's a country on the planet that is in favor of this regime and Iran having nuclear weapons. I don't know of any,” Rubio said.
There was no immediate confirmation from the Chinese side of Rubio’s remarks.
Symbols Of The Shah's Secret Police Seen At Iranian Royalists Rallies Abroad
Some Iranians in exile who are advocating a return of the monarchy in Tehran have been displaying symbols associated with the notorious secret police, SAVAK, used by the former shah to repress political opponents before the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
That imagery has sparked outrage among fellow exiles and is complicating the position of Reza Pahlavi, the son of the shah, who hopes to return to power if the current theocratic rule in Iran should crumble.
US Admiral Says Iran No Longer Poses Same Regional Threat
Admiral Brad Cooper said that recent US strikes have dramatically weakened Iran’s military capabilities, reducing its ability to threaten neighboring countries and American interests.
Speaking to a US Senate committee on May 14, Cooper said Iran’s defense industry had been set back by 90 percent and that Tehran no longer posed the same regional threat “across every domain.”
Cooper -- who heads US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees American military operations in the Middle East -- also claimed that Iran could no longer transfer weapons and resources to regional allies including Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Hamas. which is designated as a terrorist organization by the US and the EU.
Cooper did not directly address reports citing US intelligence sources that Iran still retained significant underground missile and drone capabilities.
With reporting by Reuters
No Visas Yet Issued For Iran Soccer Team To Attend World Cup, Says Head Of Iranian FA
The head of Iran’s football federation says no visas have yet been issued for any members of the national team to participate in the 2026 World Cup.
"Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we will have a decisive meeting with FIFA." Iran’s state news agency IRNA quoted federation chief Mehdi Taj as saying on May 14. "They must give us guarantees, because the visa issue has still not been resolved. We have not received any information from the other side regarding who has been granted visas. No visas have been issued yet.”
Taj, who in recent days had laid out conditions for Iran’s participation in the World Cup -- including the requirement that visas be issued for all players and coaching staff --— also said: “We are preparing for the World Cup, but we are waiting to see how the other side behaves.”
The national football team delegation traveled to Turkey on May 13 and -- after a short training camp there -- is set to head to the United States, which will host Iran’s matches.
FIFA’s president previously said Iran would definitely participate in the World Cup. US President Donald Trump has also said he has no problem with Iran taking part.
The World Cup will be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, though most matches -- including Iran’s three group-stage games -- will be played in the United States.