Trump says Iran war has ended as Congress deadline arrives
Trump says the Iran conflict has “terminated” under a ceasefire, arguing he does not need Congress to authorise continued action
US President Donald Trump has told congressional leaders that hostilities with Iran have “terminated”, arguing that a ceasefire means he does not need lawmakers’ approval to continue his approach to the conflict.
In a letter sent on Friday (May 1), the same day a key war powers deadline expired, Trump said there had been no exchange of fire with Iran since the ceasefire took effect. “The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026, have terminated,” he said.
The declaration came as Tehran sent its latest proposal for negotiations with Washington through Pakistani mediators, according to Iranian state news agency IRNA. Trump quickly rejected the proposal.
Under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, a US president may conduct military action for only 60 days without ending the operation, seeking congressional authorisation or requesting a 30-day extension tied to unavoidable military necessity while forces withdraw. Trump formally notified Congress 48 hours after the first airstrikes, starting a 60-day clock that expired on May 1.
As the deadline approached, congressional aides and analysts had expected the White House to try to avoid a direct authorisation vote. A senior Trump administration official said on Thursday that the administration believed the war powers deadline did not apply. Trump has also argued that the law is unconstitutional, a position taken at different times by presidents from both parties, although courts have not settled the issue.
Trump told reporters before leaving Washington for Florida that the ceasefire gave him “additional time”.
Democrats dismissed that argument, saying the law does not create a ceasefire exception. They also pointed to the continued deployment of US ships enforcing a blockade on Iranian oil exports as evidence that the confrontation had not truly ended.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that after 60 days of conflict Trump still had no clear strategy or exit plan. She described the deadline as a legal threshold requiring action.
In his letter to Congress, Trump also acknowledged that the conflict may not be fully resolved, saying Iran still posed a “significant” threat to the United States and its armed forces.
Republicans, who hold slim majorities in both the Senate and House, have largely stood behind Trump and have voted almost unanimously to block Democratic-led resolutions aimed at forcing him to end the conflict or seek congressional approval.
The Iran war has killed thousands, caused billions of dollars in damage, disrupted energy shipments and pushed up consumer prices. Polls show the conflict is unpopular among Americans, with congressional elections due in six months.
The US Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war, although presidents can act in limited operations or when responding to immediate threats.
Trump received a briefing on Thursday on possible new military strikes intended to pressure Iran into negotiations. If fighting resumes, he could argue that a new 60-day war powers clock has begun, a tactic used before by presidents from both parties in intermittent conflicts since the law was adopted after the Vietnam War.
