TEHRAN - A group of U.S. congressmen is seeking to vote on a motion to circumscribe the American president’s authority to launch military aggression against Iran.

Following an escalation of military tension between Washington and Iran, legislators at the House of Representatives and Senate undertook to put a motion to the vote aimed at restricting President Donald Trump’s powers to initiate any military actions against Iran without first obtaining official permission from Congress.

As congressmen are set to move forward with the voting, the White House has initiated massive efforts to torpedo the motion to hold off any possible curbs on the powers of the president, who serves as the commander-in-chief of the country’s Armed Forces.

The lawmakers are seeking to amend two pieces of legislation adopted in 2001 and 2002 that give American presidents the authority to launch military operations anywhere in the world without the prior permission of Congress.

Under the U.S. Constitution, the president, as the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, is entitled to immediately defend the country against strikes, but “the declaration of war” only falls within the powers of Congress.

U.S. House minority leader Hakeem Sekou Jeffries has announced that the vote will take place as soon as lawmakers return from recess next week.

Republicans, who hold a fragile majority in Congress, are worried that even if a handful of legislators defect from the GOP and join the ranks of Democrats, that would lead to an ignominious political fiasco for Trump.

Meanwhile, Democratic leaders have, in a joint statement, accused Trump of pushing the country to the brink of war without offering sufficient explanation to the people and legislators.