US President Donald Trump has told top lawmakers in Congress that hostilities in Iran had ended and he didn’t require their permission to extend the war.
“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,” he wrote in letters to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate president pro tempore Chuck Grassley.
The statement came amid growing pressure on Trump to seek congressional authorization for the conflict.
Under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, Congress must declare war or authorize the use of force within 60 days of the start of the conflict. Those 60 days, for the Iran war, expired on Friday.
But even in the past, presidents including Democratic ones like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have relied on legal interpretations to avoid seeking such approval.
Despite Trump’s declaration that the hostilities have been “terminated,” there hasn’t been any change in the US military posture, with the US Navy continuing to enforce a blockade of Iranian ports and shipping.
And Tehran has maintained its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, choking off energy and fertilizer supplies, among others, from the Persian Gulf.
