The ceasefire between the US and Iran that took effect three weeks ago has “terminated” hostilities between the two countries for the purposes of today’s congressional war powers deadline, Reuters reported on 1 May, citing a senior White House official.
Passed in 1973, the War Powers Resolution requires a US president to end a war within 60 days or request approval from Congress to continue it for another 30 days on grounds of “unavoidable military necessity” for the safety of the military.
The US and Israel launched the current war on Iran on 28 February. US President Donald Trump formally notified Congress of the conflict 48 hours later, making Friday, 1 May, the deadline to request a 30-day extension from Congress or terminate the war.
But the White House official claimed that the ceasefire that took effect on 8 April effectively ended the war from the perspective of the War Powers Resolution and that no request for an extension is needed.
“For War Powers Resolution purposes, the hostilities that began on Saturday, February 28, have terminated,” said the official.
There has been no exchange of fire between the US military and Iran since the ceasefire began more than three weeks ago, the official added.
Speaking in a Senate hearing on Thursday, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth claimed the 60-day clock stopped during the ceasefire.
Democratic lawmakers disputed Hegseth’s claim, saying there was no such legal provision. Democrats have tried several times to pass resolutions to force Trump to end the war or obtain congressional authorization.
However, Trump’s Republican Party holds a narrow majority in both chambers of Congress, allowing them to vote down such attempts.
The US and Iran continue to compete to exercise control of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has declared that ships linked to the US and Israel may not pass the strategic waterway, effectively closing the strait to all western and Gulf traffic, while the US has imposed a blockade on the strait in a bid to block Iranian ships from exiting and transporting oil to Asian buyers.
Though negotiations to formally end the war have stalled, Trump is not likely to resume the conflict, The Jerusalem Post reported on Thursday, as he reportedly believes the US blockade of Hormuz is pushing the Iranian economy toward collapse and that this will force Tehran to submit to US demands at the negotiating table.
However, Israel is “bracing” itself for the collapse of negotiations between Washington and Tehran and resumption of all-out war against the Islamic Republic, the Israeli Channel 12 outlet reported on 30 April.
On 3 December, Democratic and Republican lawmakers filed a resolution to block a US military attack on Venezuela without congressional approval.
The move came in response to repeated statements by Trump claiming that a US land invasion of the Latin American nation to combat drug traffickers would begin “very soon.”
In previous months, the US military had carried out at least 21 strikes on boats allegedly carrying drugs in the Caribbean, killing some 83 people.
Instead of an invasion, Trump sent US Special Operations commandos to raid the Venezuelan capital of Caracas in January and abduct President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.
The move allowed the US to install Maduro’s Vice President, Delcy Rodriguez, in power and take control of Venezuela’s oil exports in preparation for the war on Iran and Tehran’s expected closure of the Strait of Hormuz.