US President Donald Trump now faces a crucial deadline as Washington’s war with Iran passed 60 days on Friday. That’s because a decades-old law from the Vietnam era states that the US Congress must sign off on war after it passes the 60-day mark, CNN reported.
The 1973 War Powers Resolution clearly establishes a timeline for when lawmakers must be notified of hostile actions and when the president is required to withdraw U.S. forces from a conflict without congressional authorization. Without express approval from Congress, the law says that once that deadline is reached, the president “shall terminate all use of the armed forces of the United States.”
Mismatch with war dates?
The report suggests that many lawmakers see May 1 as the 60-day mark, since that’s when the US president notified Congress of the start of hostilities on March 2. But some Senate Republicans have argued that this should mark an inflection point where the US Congress must step in and authorize the conflict or at least provide additional oversight. But others insist Trump can unilaterally extend the military’s involvement for another 30 days, with Republicans saying the truce days don’t count toward the total.
The disagreement among lawmakers adds more uncertainty to a six-week standoff that has already raised questions about Congress’s role in overseeing Trump’s authority to go to war abroad. Since the start of the war in late February, US lawmakers have engaged in debate over the scope of that authority.
Is the US-Iran war over?
The White House told CNN on Friday that the war in Tehran is over, citing a ceasefire between the countries, an interpretation that could allow the administration to avoid seeking congressional approval. Trump extended the cease-fire indefinitely shortly before the two-week ceasefire announced on April 8 ended on April 22.
In a statement, a senior administration official said “the hostile actions that began on Saturday, February 28, have been terminated.” The official went on to say that there has been no exchange of fire between the US and Iran since the two sides agreed to a ceasefire on April 7.
The White House official’s statement echoes Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s argument during his testimony on Capitol Hill Thursday, when he said the Trump administration is interpreting the law to mean that “the 60-day clock is suspended or stopped during a ceasefire.”
A similar statement was made by the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, who reiterated that the US Congress does not need to consider military action by the administration in Tehran, as the two sides are not currently at war.
In an interview with NBC, he said, “I don’t think we have an active, kinetic military bombing or shooting or anything like that. We’re trying to negotiate a peace right now,” adding, “I would very much hate to get in front of the administration in the middle of these very sensitive negotiations, so we’ll have to see how that plays out.”
Hostility continues?
While the ceasefire has been extended indefinitely, it is unclear how the hostilities will end. After the first round of talks failed, the US enforced a naval blockade of Iran’s ports, a move that prompted Tehran to not agree to a second round of talks. Last week, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Pakistan for a bilateral meeting with his counterpart Ishaq Dar, a move that revived hopes for lasting peace. However, the Iranian regime denied reports of talks with Washington while Araghchi was in Islamabad, citing the naval blockade as the primary reason. Before Trump’s team could fly to Islamabad on Saturday, Araghchi left Islamabad, leaving the future of the peace deal in limbo.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported today that the Islamic Republic sent Pakistani mediators a new proposal for negotiations with Washington. However, the question remains whether the two sides will eventually agree to come to the negotiating table this time.
