Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Authorization for Use of Military Force and the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 do not provide legal justification for war with Iran.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. RES. 819 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Authorization for Use of Military Force and the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 do not provide legal justification for war with Iran. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JANUARY 30, 2020 Mr. CURTIS submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Authorization for Use of Military Force and the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 do not provide legal justification for war with Iran. Whereas, on May 12, 2019, four commercial ships were dam- aged in the Gulf of Oman, two of which were registered in Saudi Arabia, one in Norway, and one in the United Arab Emirates; Whereas, on June 13, 2019, two oil tankers were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz by Iran; VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:09 Jan 30, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR819.IH HR819 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 819 IH Whereas, on June 20, 2019, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps shot down a United States RQ–4A Global Hawk BAMS–D surveillance drone; Whereas, on September 14, 2019, Iran attacked two major oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, leading to the largest price increase in oil in 30 years; Whereas throughout these escalations, President Trump acted with immense restraint; Whereas in the last two months of 2019, Iranian-backed mili- tias attacked United States troops in Iraq, eventually re- sulting in the death of one United States contractor and injuring four soldiers; Whereas between December 31, 2019, and January 1, 2019, Iranian-backed groups stormed the United States Em- bassy in Iraq, leaving embassy officials fearing for their safety and forcing the United States to dispatch hun- dreds of troops to deescalate the situation; Whereas the Government of Iran is a leading state sponsor of terrorism and engages in a range of destabilizing ac- tivities across the Middle East and throughout the world; Whereas Iranian General Qassem Soleimani was the lead ar- chitect of much of Iran’s destabilizing activities; Whereas, on January 2, 2019, President Trump authorized a precision strike that killed Qassem Soleimani; Whereas Soleimani was plotting imminent attacks on United States diplomats and military personnel; and Whereas the United States has an inherent right to self-de- fense against imminent armed attacks and maintains the right to ensure the safety of diplomatic personnel serving abroad: Now, therefore, be it VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:09 Jan 30, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR819.IH HR819 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 819 IH Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep- 1 resentatives that the Authorization for Use of Military 2 Force (Public Law 107–40; 50 U.S.C. 1541 note) and the 3 Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Res- 4 olution of 2002 (Public Law 107–243; 50 U.S.C. 1541 5 note) do not provide legal justification for war with Iran. 6 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:09 Jan 30, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR819.IH HR819 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS