Has the US-Iran ceasefire reset the clock on War Powers Act deadline?

The Donald Trump medication has argued that a cardinal May 1 deadline it faces to unafraid legislature support for the US-Israel warfare connected Iran nary longer matters due to the fact that of the ongoing ceasefire with Tehran.

Once the president notifies the United States Congress astir a war, helium has a 60-day deadline nether the War Powers Resolution to get lawmakers to greenlight the run oregon retreat forces progressive successful hostilities.

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In the lawsuit of the warfare connected Iran, that deadline expires connected Friday.

But connected Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers astatine a Senate proceeding that the ongoing yet fragile ceasefire had efficaciously paused the timepiece connected the deadline.

However, Hegseth’s mentation is being powerfully contested. Democratic lawmakers and ineligible experts reason that the statute contains nary proviso allowing for a intermission erstwhile the deadline has started.

The disagreement reflects a deeper clash implicit however “hostilities” are defined, and whether a impermanent ceasefire tin change ineligible obligations the White House is expected to adhere to.

So what is the Trump administration’s presumption connected the War Powers Resolution, and however are the absorption and ineligible experts challenging it?

What has the Trump medication said?

During grounds earlier the US Senate Armed Services Committee connected Thursday, Hegseth argued the “60-day timepiece pauses, oregon stops” during a intermission successful fighting.

The US and Iran person mostly halted nonstop attacks since April 8 arsenic ceasefire negotiations began, though those talks person since stalled.

Since then, Tehran continues to efficaciously artifact the Strait of Hormuz and Washington has maintained a naval blockade of Iranian ports and ships successful the strait. President Trump has repeatedly warned that strikes could resume.

Other officials successful the Trump medication person echoed Hegseth, arguing that the lack of progressive exchanges since aboriginal April means hostilities person efficaciously ceased for the purposes of the War Powers Resolution and that the 60-day deadline whitethorn truthful nary longer apply.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifies during a Senate committee proceeding connected Capitol Hill successful Washington, DC, connected April 30, 2026 [Alex Wroblewski/AFP]

“For War Powers Resolution purposes, the hostilities that began connected Saturday, February 28, person terminated,” an authoritative told the Reuters quality agency.

“There has been nary ⁠⁠exchange of ⁠⁠fire betwixt US Armed Forces and ‌‌Iran since Tuesday, April 7.”

Moreover, immoderate person suggested simply starting a caller cognition nether a caller sanction to get astir the deadline. Richard Goldberg, who served arsenic manager for countering Iranian weapons of wide demolition for the US National Security Council during Trump’s archetypal term, said helium has recommended to medication officials that they simply modulation to a caller operation, which helium suggested could beryllium called “Epic Passage”, a sequel to Operation Epic Fury — the sanction of the existent cognition against Iran.

That caller mission, helium told The Associated Press quality agency, “would inherently beryllium a ngo of self-defence focused connected reopening the strait portion reserving the close to violative enactment successful enactment of restoring state of navigation”.

“That to maine solves it all,” Goldberg added.

What the War Powers Act requires

The War Powers Resolution, passed successful 1973, places limits connected however agelong a US president tin wage warfare without legislature approval.

Under the law, the president indispensable notify Congress wrong 48 hours of introducing US forces into hostilities. From that point, a 60-day timepiece begins. Though the US and Israel launched their existent warfare connected Iran connected February 28, the Trump medication notified Congress connected March 2, which is wherefore the 60-day deadline expires connected May 1.

Within those 60 days, the president indispensable either unafraid authorisation from Congress — done a associated solution passed by the House and the Senate — oregon extremity US subject involvement.

The instrumentality does let for a constricted 30-day extension, but lone to safely retreat forces, not to proceed combat operations indefinitely.

However, the statute, which was designed to restrict statesmanlike war-making powers aft Vietnam, has been ignored oregon challenged by past presidents, who person argued parts of the instrumentality are unconstitutional.

The Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) is different imaginable ineligible instauration for continuing subject operations, arsenic it grants the president authorization to deploy unit for defined objectives.

It was primitively enacted successful 2001 pursuing the September 11 attacks to let the US to transportation retired its alleged “war connected terror”, and past reaffirmed successful 2002 to region Saddam Hussein and authorise the 2003 penetration of Iraq. Since then, successive administrations person relied connected these authorisations to enactment a wide scope of subject actions.

Due to heavy divisions betwixt Democrats and Republicans, Congress is improbable to authorise continued subject enactment against Iran.

On Thursday, a sixth bid successful the Senate to curb Trump’s authorization to behaviour subject operations utilizing the War Powers Resolution was defeated by 50-47, with members voting overwhelmingly on enactment lines.

Democrats pushed backmost powerfully against Hegseth’s claim, arguing determination was nary ineligible ground successful the War Powers Resolution for pausing the 60-day countdown erstwhile a ceasefire begins.

At the hearing, Virginia Senator Tim Kaine rejected that mentation outright, saying helium did not “believe the statute would enactment that”.

Adam Schiff, a Democratic legislator from California, besides challenged the argument, pointing retired that US forces stay progressive successful the portion contempt the halt successful aerial attacks. “Ceasing to usage immoderate forces portion utilizing others does not someway halt the clock,” helium noted.

Despite a halt successful aerial and rocket strikes, US and Iranian forces person continued hostilities successful and astir the Strait of Hormuz.

On April 20, the US subject fired connected and seized the Iranian‑flagged instrumentality vessel Touska, with Tehran days aboriginal capturing 2 overseas commercialized vessels.

Although astir each Republicans voted down the War Powers Resolution connected Thursday, Senator Susan Collins of Maine broke ranks to broadside with Democrats.

“The president’s authorization arsenic commander-in-chief is not without limits,” she said, pointing retired that the 60-day deadline is “not a suggestion, it is simply a requirement”.

Has the ceasefire reset the clock, per experts?

Bruce Fein, a US law and planetary instrumentality adept and erstwhile subordinate lawman lawyer general, said the solution “never says anywhere” that the 60-day deadline to person legislature support for subject enactment “stops if there’s a ceasefire”.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Fein warned that specified an mentation “turns the solution into simply a insubstantial tiger”.

“You person to ask, wherefore has President Trump not asked Congress to state war? Just similar successful the Vietnam War, determination was not immoderate declaration of warfare determination either, due to the fact that helium knows helium would suffer the vote,” helium added.

The War Powers Resolution was passed aft then-President Richard Nixon’s concealed bombing of Cambodia, and much than a decennary of warfare successful Vietnam, contempt his vetoing the solution initially.

“Why would Mr Trump not inquire Congress for a declaration if helium thought it would pass? He has a bulk successful the House and the Senate. He knows helium volition lose,” Fein said.

“The War Powers Resolution is simply a sideshow. The existent constituent present is that nether Nuremberg International instrumentality principles adopted by Congress, we are engaged successful a transgression warfare of aggression,” helium added.