The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a nonbinding resolution saying that Iran must be stopped before it achieves a "nuclear-weapons capability", Radio Free Europe reported.
The vote was 401 to 11.
The resolution also reaffirms "opposition to any policy that would rely on containment as an option in response to the Iranian nuclear threat."
Critics say the resolution could move the United States closer to a war with Iran. The resolution however is not a mandate for any specific action on the part of the U.S. administration.
Israel insists that military action against Iran would be warranted to prevent it from reaching a nuclear-weapons capability, as opposed to when it actually might build such a device. The Obama administration has not embraced that idea.
The resolution was passed ahead of next week's nuclear talks in Baghdad between Iran and world powers. Iran maintains that its nuclear activities are for purely peaceful purposes.
Edited by: S. Isayev