The Trump administration has declared that US hostilities with Iran have "terminated" for the purposes of a critical congressional deadline, as the conflict — now in its third month — enters a legally and politically fraught phase. A senior White House official said Thursday that hostilities begun on 28 February have formally ended under the War Powers Resolution, citing a ceasefire that has been in place since 7 April. "There has been no exchange of fire between US armed forces and Iran since Tuesday, April 7," the official said.
Friday marks 60 days since the Trump administration formally notified Congress of its strikes on Iran — the legal threshold under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, a law passed during the Vietnam War era to prevent presidents from waging indefinite military campaigns without congressional approval. Under that law, the president must either end military operations, obtain a declaration of war, or seek congressional authorisation within that window. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, testifying before the Senate on Thursday, argued the ceasefire "pauses" the 60-day clock, a position Democrats and legal critics have challenged. House Speaker Mike Johnson went further, saying no congressional authorisation was needed because the US was not actively engaged in combat.
The Republican-led Senate underscored the political divisions on Thursday, blocking — for the sixth time this year — a Democratic war powers resolution that would have constrained military action without congressional approval. The vote was 47–50, with Republicans Susan Collins and Rand Paul joining Democrats in favour, while Democrat John Fetterman voted against. Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski warned she would introduce a limited authorisation of military force when the Senate returns from recess if the administration fails to present a "credible plan", adding: "Congress has a role." Meanwhile, the Pentagon has estimated war costs at approximately $25 billion so far.
On the ground, the situation remains volatile. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian called the ongoing US naval blockade of Iranian ports — imposed after Iran restricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy chokepoint — "intolerable" and "doomed to fail". Iran's newly appointed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who took office in March following the killing of his father and predecessor in the initial US-Israeli strikes, declared in a nationally televised message that the United States had suffered a "shameful defeat". Air defences were activated over Tehran on Thursday night in response to drones and small aircraft. Oil prices surged to four-year highs, with the Brent benchmark spiking above $126 per barrel.
Trump told reporters he is pursuing a negotiated settlement but expressed frustration with Iran's approach, claiming Tehran was introducing new conditions every few days. He has not ruled out resuming military operations, saying Washington "might need" to restart the war. With peace talks at an impasse, regional tensions high, and Congress increasingly restive, the administration's claim that the conflict has legally "terminated" looks set to satisfy neither its critics nor its allies.