53 House Democrats Vote Against Resolution Reaffirming Iran As Top State Sponsor Of Terrorism

Far left members of the House known as the “Squad,” including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Ilhan Omar, were among 53 Democrats who voted against a resolution reaffirming Iran as the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism.

The measure, introduced by Rep. Brian Mast of Florida, passed the House on Thursday in a 372 to 53 vote. Every vote against the resolution came from Democrats, while Republicans and the majority of Democrats supported the measure.

The resolution reaffirmed the long standing position that Iran provides financial and military support to major terrorist organizations including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.

Several high profile progressive lawmakers joined Ocasio-Cortez and Omar in opposing the resolution. Those voting no included Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, Summer Lee, Maxine Waters, and Al Green.

Other Democrats voting against the measure included Reps. Yvette Clarke and Nydia Velázquez of New York.

The White House quickly criticized the group of Democrats who opposed the resolution, pointing out that the U.S. government has officially recognized Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism for decades.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt noted that administrations from both political parties have maintained that designation since 1984.

“Just three years ago, a resolution condemning the terrorist Iranian regime passed the House by a vote of 420 to 1,” Leavitt wrote on X. “Now 53 House Democrats just refused to reaffirm that Iran remains the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism.”

“Trump Derangement Syndrome is melting their brains,” she added.

The resolution also highlighted Iran’s role in the deaths of American service members and citizens through the actions of Iranian backed proxy groups operating throughout the Middle East.

According to the measure, Iranian backed militias were responsible for the deaths of at least 603 U.S. service members in Iraq, accounting for roughly one in every six American combat fatalities during the conflict.

The legislation also warned about Iran’s continued nuclear ambitions, stating that the regime has accumulated a large stockpile of enriched uranium while continuing to block international inspectors from accessing undeclared nuclear sites.

Rep. Sara Jacobs of California was among the Democrats who voted against the resolution and explained her reasoning in a post on X.

“Iran is obviously a state sponsor of terrorism. There’s no debate on that,” Jacobs wrote. “The issue is that Republicans are using this to claim that Iran is harboring Al Qaeda and is a direct and persistent threat to the U.S. so they can legally justify this reckless war.”

Despite the opposition from progressive Democrats, the resolution passed overwhelmingly, reflecting strong bipartisan support in Congress for maintaining pressure on the Iranian regime.