President Donald Trump notified Congress on Friday that he will not seek formal authorization for military operations against Iran, arguing that a current ceasefire has effectively ended the hostilities. The announcement comes just as the conflict reached the 60-day mark, a threshold that typically triggers the 1973 War Powers Resolution requiring a president to gain legislative approval for continued combat.
In letters delivered to the House and Senate, the president stated that the two-week ceasefire he ordered on April 7, which has since been extended, renders a vote unnecessary.
“The ceasefire has since been extended. There has been no exchange of fire between the United States Forces and Iran since April 7, 2026,” Trump wrote. He asserted that the hostilities, which began in late February, have “terminated,” though he noted that the threat from the Iranian regime remains significant.
The 1973 law was designed to check a president’s power to commit the U.S. to an armed conflict without a declaration of war or specific statutory authorization. While the law allows for a 30-day extension to withdraw troops, Trump’s correspondence focused instead on his constitutional authority as Commander in Chief.
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Speaking to reporters as he left for Florida, the president dismissed the need for a vote, claiming the law is rarely followed. “They consider it totally unconstitutional,” he said, referring to past administrations. “Nobody’s ever asked for it before. It’s never been used before. Why should we be different?”
The administration’s stance has found support among GOP leadership. House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters on Thursday that “we’re not at war,” echoing the sentiment that the absence of active “kinetic” bombing means the legal clock is no longer ticking.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared this interpretation during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, suggesting that a ceasefire effectively pauses or stops the 60-day requirement.
The conflict originally flared on February 28, with the official 60-day countdown beginning when Congress was notified on March 2. While the ceasefire has halted active strikes, the U.S. military maintains a massive presence in the region to enforce a naval blockade.
Over 100 aircraft and two carrier strike groups remain deployed to prevent Iran from blocking the Strait of Hormuz. Despite the pause in fire, diplomatic talks to secure a lasting peace and reopen the shipping lanes have yet to yield a final agreement.
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Trump’s decision mirrors arguments made by previous presidents, such as Barack Obama’s 2011 stance on operations in Libya, where the administration argued that a lack of “sustained fighting” meant congressional approval wasn’t required.
However, the move breaks from the precedents set by both George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush, who both sought and received legislative backing for their respective conflicts in the Middle East.
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