White House tells Congress Iran war has been ‘terminated,’ skirting 60-day clock

The White House delivered letters to congressional leaders on Friday arguing that hostilities with Iran “have terminated,” an assertion that comes amid mounting bipartisan pressure on Capitol Hill for the administration to seek authorization for the conflict goes past the 60-day mark.

The letters, addressed to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, contend that because the United States and Iran have observed a ceasefire since April 7, the fighting has halted, putting into writing a claim Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made during a Senate hearing on Thursday.

“On April 7, 2026, I ordered a 2-week ceasefire. The ceasefire has since been extended. There has been no exchange of fire between United States Forces and Iran since April 7, 2026. The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026 have terminated,” President Donald Trump wrote in the letters.

Trump went on to say the threat posed by Iran to the U.S. and its military “remains significant,” but that he has and will “continue to direct” U.S. armed forces “consistent with my responsibilities and pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct United States foreign relations” as president and commander in chief.

As the situation “evolves,” the president said he will “continue to update the Congress on noteworthy changes” to military posture consistent with the law, saying, “I appreciate the support of the Congress in these actions.”

The missives come on Day 62 of the conflict in Iran, which began on Feb. 28 when the U.S. and Israel struck Tehran. The president formally informed Congress of the operation on March 2, exactly 60 days from Friday. After threatening to eliminate civilization in Iran, Trump announced a two-week ceasefire on April 7 that has since been extended despite a continuing standoff over the Strait of Hormuz, in which the U.S. Navy is blockading Iranian ports.

And it lands at a key moment on Capitol Hill, where Republican criticism of the conflict has been relatively muted as lawmakers have warily eyed the two-month marker that could force their hands. According to the War Powers Act of 1973, by Day 60 of being notified of a conflict, the president must come to Congress to formally declare war or seek approval of military action. The president can also request a 30-day extension of the conflict if needed to safely draw down troops, according to the law.

For weeks, Democrats have been waiting for the date to roll around, hoping Republicans would tire of the war and perhaps join them in seeking to curb Trump’s actions in the Middle East. The administration has employed shifting rationales for why it is in Iran and what it hopes to achieve there — from ending the country’s nuclear program to regime change — and the economic shocks have sparked soaring gas prices that have hit many American voters in their pocketbooks.

In recent days, however, the administration has been trying to downplay the significance of the 60-day mark.

Hours before the letters were sent to Congress, Trump said congressional approval to extend the war with Iran is not necessary, adding that this type of approval has “never been sought before” and people consider it “totally unconstitutional.” 

“Nobody’s ever asked for it before,” Trump said during a gaggle with reporters on the White House south lawn on Friday. “It’s never been used before. Why should we be different?”

Since the U.S. war with Iran began, Trump has been careful about labeling it as such, rather calling it an “excursion” or a “journey.” 

“I won’t use the word war because they say, if you use the word war, that’s maybe not a good thing to do,” Trump said in remarks at the March dinner of the House GOP’s campaign arm, the National Republican Congressional Committee. “They don’t like the word war because you’re supposed to get approval. So, I’ll use the word military operation, which is really what it is.”

The White House assertion Friday that the 60-day clock had been “terminated” was an extension of the argument it began making the day before as the deadline loomed.

In his second day of public testimony on the Hill about the war, Hegseth floated the theory before the Senate Armed Services Committee, arguing that because of the fragile ceasefire in the Middle East, the 60-day deadline no longer applied. But Hegseth said the clock had stopped rather than been reset entirely.

The pause was immediately rejected by some Democrats on the panel, including Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who told MS NOW, “The military operations haven’t stopped.”

“We’re still using the U.S. military to blockade all Iranian ports, which is an act of war. Our troops are on orders to be in combat,” he said.

And Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., a member of the House Armed Services Committee, told MS NOW on Friday that the administration’s argument “has no basis in law.”

“My Republican colleagues can’t keep allowing Trump to skirt the law,” she wrote in a text. “They need to work with us to uphold our constitutional obligations and end this war which has been a total disaster.”

Some Republicans also had questions even before the letters circulated, including Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who told reporters Thursday he did not “know if there’s a legal basis for” pausing the clock.

“I’m going back to my office to ask my attorneys,” he said.

Still, other Republicans suggested some openness to the White House argument. 

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., for instance, said Thursday that he saw Friday as the 60-day mark, suggesting he wanted the White House to spell out its reasoning that the clock was paused in writing. But he also invoked a U.S. naval blockade in Cuba from the 1960s as a potential precedent, saying, “President Kennedy, of course, carried on a blockade without authorization and never sought it.”

For months, congressional Democrats have sought to rein in the White House’s actions in Iran by forcing votes on war powers resolution. The votes have repeatedly failed. 

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, broke with her Republican colleagues for the first time Friday to vote for a war powers resolution to end U.S. hostilities in the Middle East.

In a statement afterward, she invoked the 60-day timeline, writing, “The Constitution gives Congress an essential role in decisions of war and peace, and the War Powers Act establishes a clear 60-day deadline.”

“That deadline is not a suggestion; it is a requirement,” she added.

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