A resolution led by Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., aimed at curbing President Donald Trump’s war powers in Iran is getting the blessing of the House of Representatives’ top Democrat.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., released a statement alongside other Democratic leaders Thursday announcing that they will force a vote on Massie’s resolution next week.

«As soon as Congress reconvenes next week, we will compel a vote of the full House of Representatives on the bipartisan Khanna-Massie War Powers resolution,» the joint statement read.

«This legislation would require the President to come to Congress to make the case for using military force against Iran. The Iranian regime is brutal and destabilizing, seen most recently in the killing of thousands of protesters. However, undertaking a war of choice in the Middle East, without a full understanding of all the attendant risks to our servicemembers and to escalation, is reckless.»

Jeffries and other top Democrats argued that any military force against Iran would be illegal without approval from Capitol Hill.

«We maintain that any such action would be unconstitutional without consultation with and authorization from Congress. Next week, every Member will have the opportunity to go on the record as to whether they support military action against Iran absent Congressional approval,» they said.

Massie cited Congress’ war powers in the Constitution in unveiling the legislation earlier this month alongside Khanna.

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«Congress must vote on war according to our Constitution,» he posted on X. «[Khanna] and I will be forcing that vote to happen in the House as soon as possible. I will vote to put America first, which means voting against more war in the Middle East.»

Buses that were burned during Iran’s protests, in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 21, 2026. (Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters)

There are multiple mechanisms for forcing a vote over the will of House leadership. But the quickest route is called a «privileged resolution,» which mandates that a specific piece of legislation is considered by the full chamber within two legislative days of its introduction.

Before a vote on the measure itself, however, House GOP leaders can call for a preliminary vote to «table» the legislation or refer it to the relevant committee, both ways of effectively killing those resolutions. 

It’s considered easier for lawmakers in the majority party to vote to kill resolutions on that procedural vote before they have to take a vote on the bill itself.

Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., left, and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., conduct a news conference after reviewing unredacted portions of the Jeffrey Epstein files, outside a Department of Justice office in NoMa on Feb. 9, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

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Privileged resolutions, which are traditionally seldom used, have gained popularity in recent years as Republicans grapple with a razor-thin House majority.

In this case, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., can only afford one GOP defection if all Democrats vote to proceed with blocking Trump’s war powers. 

Because Massie is already likely to vote with the minority party, all remaining Republicans in the chamber must vote in lockstep to block the resolution.

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An Egyptian tour guide was arrested after allegedly sketching a stick figure onto the side of the 4,000-year-old Pyramid of Unas while leading a group of tourists.

Video of the incident, which circulated widely on social media, shows the man leaning toward a lower section of the pyramid’s outer casing while tourists stand nearby listening. He is then seen attempting to wipe the markings away with his hand, though remnants remain visible in the footage.

In a post on X, Egypt’s Interior Ministry said the guide «damaged an antiquity by drawing on the outer casing of one of the pyramids» while explaining the site to tourists. Although the initial report mentioned the general Giza area.

The ministry said the investigation was launched after the video spread online, prompting an antiquities inspector to file a report with the Saqqara Tourism Police Station identifying the guide. Officials said the markings were later removed by specialists.

Authorities apprehended the suspect, who confessed to the act during questioning, according to the ministry.

«Legal measures have been taken,» the ministry added, noting that specialists have since removed the markings.

Local media outlets, citing the Interior Ministry’s investigation, identified the site as the Pyramid of Unas in the Saqqara necropolis south of Giza.

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An Egyptian tour guide was arrested after allegedly sketching a stick figure on the 4,000-year-old Pyramid of Unas in Saqqara, officials said. (Egyptian Ministry of Interior)

B.C. for the Pharaoh Unas, is historically significant for containing the earliest Pyramid Texts. These religious inscriptions consist of more than 200 spells carved into the pyramid’s interior walls, forming what scholars consider the oldest known collection of funerary texts.

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An Egyptian tour guide was arrested after allegedly sketching a stick figure on the 4,000-year-old Pyramid of Unas in Saqqara, officials said. (Egyptian Ministry of Interior)

The pyramid is located within the vast Saqqara necropolis, part of ancient Memphis – Egypt’s first capital and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site that contains a sprawling complex of tombs, temples and pyramids.

Egypt has increased enforcement and preservation efforts at archaeological sites in recent years as officials seek to protect ancient monuments that attract millions of visitors annually.

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Under Egypt’s Antiquities Protection Law, damaging actions such as writing on or damaging archaeological sites can carry prison sentences and fines, with the exact penalties varying by offense.

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Irán y Estados Unidos lograron “progresos” en las conversaciones este jueves en Ginebra, afirmó el canciller iraní, Abbas Araqchi, tras las negociaciones indirectas que buscan evitar una guerra.

Estos diálogos, mediados por Omán, transcurren bajo la amenaza del mayor despliegue militar estadounidense en Oriente Medio en décadas.

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Irán insiste en que las negociaciones deben ceñirse al programa nuclear, pero Estados Unidos quiere abordar también el tema de los misiles y el apoyo que da Teherán a grupos armados en Oriente Medio.

Cómo fueron las conversaciones en Ginebra

Las dos delegaciones sostuvieron conversaciones durante la mañana en la residencia del embajador de Omán y mantuvieron otra ronda de reuniones que concluyó por la tarde.

“Hemos terminado el día con progresos significativos en la negociación entre Estados Unidos e Irán”, apuntó el canciller de Omán, Badr Albusaidi en la red X. Además dijo que ambos países sostendrán conversaciones a nivel técnico la próxima semana en Viena.

El ministro iraní de Relaciones Exteriores, Abbas Araqchi, también informó de “progresos” tras el final de las reuniones y afirmó que se abordaron temas sobre el programa nuclear y el levantamiento de las sanciones.

El canciller indicó que las conversaciones a nivel técnico comenzarán el lunes en Viena y que habrá un nuevo ciclo de negociaciones en menos de una semana.

El argentino Rafael Grossi participó en las negociaciones

El director general del Organismo Internacional de Energía Atómica (OIEA), el argentino Rafael Grossi, participó en las negociaciones, informó una fuente cercana a las conversaciones.

El presidente estadounidense Donald Trump envió a Oriente Medio un dispositivo militar masivo que incluye un portaaviones, el USS Abraham Lincoln, nueve destructores y otros tres buques de combate.

Además movilizó por el Mediterráneo al portaviones más grande del mundo, el USS Gerald R. Ford.

“Soluciones nuevas y creativas”

El diario The Wall Street Journal reportó este jueves que el equipo negociador estadounidense busca exigir que Irán desmantele sus tres principales instalaciones nucleares y entregue todo el uranio enriquecido.

Más temprano, el canciller de Omán afirmó que los negociadores mostraron “una apertura sin precedentes a ideas y soluciones nuevas y creativas”.

El presidente iraní, Masud Pezeshkian, insistió antes de las negociaciones en que su país no busca dotarse de armas nucleares.

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“El tema de las negociaciones (…) se centra en la cuestión nuclear”, dijo el portavoz del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores iraní Esmail Baqai.

Añadió que su país presionará para que levanten las sanciones a las que se ve sometido y reiterará su derecho “al uso pacífico de la energía nuclear”.

Para el jefe de la diplomacia estadounidense, Marco Rubio, esto es “un gran problema”. “Tenemos que hablar de otros temas además del programa nuclear”, advirtió.

Irán ha “desarrollado misiles que pueden amenazar a Europa y nuestras bases” militares y quiere diseñar otros aún más poderosos, capaces de “alcanzar pronto a Estados Unidos”, aseguró el martes el presidente Trump en su discurso sobre el estado de la Unión.

Irán, que afirma que el alcance máximo de sus misiles es de 2.000 km, tachó de “mentiras” estas afirmaciones. Irán dispone de un amplio arsenal, en particular los Shahab-3, que pueden alcanzar a Israel, su enemigo jurado, y a algunos países de Europa del Este.

(Con información de AFP)