WASHINGTON: A US-Iran ceasefire that began in early April has been treated as having “terminated” hostilities between the two sides for the purpose of an approaching congressional war powers deadline, a senior official in President Donald Trump’s administration said on Thursday.
The president faced a Friday deadline to either conclude the Iran war or present a case to Congress for its continuation, although the deadline was expected to pass without changing the course of the conflict.
“For War Powers Resolution purposes, the hostilities that began on Saturday, February 28, have terminated,” the official said, explaining the administration’s position.
The official added that there has been no exchange of fire between US forces and Iran since the fragile ceasefire took effect more than three weeks ago.
Earlier, analysts and congressional aides had expected Trump either to inform Congress of a planned 30-day extension or to let the deadline lapse, with the administration arguing that the ceasefire effectively marked the end of hostilities.
Under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, a president may conduct military operations for up to 60 days before either ending them, securing congressional authorisation, or requesting a 30-day extension based on “unavoidable military necessity” for the safety of US forces.
The conflict with Iran began on February 28 with airstrikes carried out by Israel and the United States. Trump formally notified Congress 48 hours later, triggering a 60-day deadline that was set to expire on May 1.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told a Senate hearing on Thursday that he understood the 60-day clock had paused during the ceasefire period. However, opposition Democrats rejected that interpretation, arguing that no such provision exists in law.
The US Constitution grants Congress the sole authority to declare war, though presidents have often bypassed this requirement by framing military actions as limited operations or responses to imminent threats.
Trump’s Republican Party holds a slim majority in both chambers of Congress, and Democrats have repeatedly attempted since the start of the war to pass resolutions requiring withdrawal of US forces or formal congressional approval. Those efforts have been blocked by Republican lawmakers.
Iran responded to the February 28 strikes by the United States and Israel with retaliatory attacks on Israel and on Gulf states hosting American military bases. The US-Israeli strikes on Iran, along with Israeli operations in Lebanon, have reportedly resulted in thousands of deaths and the displacement of millions of people.