Administration

Trump administration says Iran war ‘terminated’ before 60-day deadline

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by Sarah Davis - 05/01/26 7:50 AM ET

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by Sarah Davis - 05/01/26 7:50 AM ET

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A senior Trump administration official said Thursday that “for War Powers Resolution purposes,” the military operation against Tehran was already “terminated” following the ceasefire deal reached between the U.S. and Iran.

Friday marks 60 days since the administration formally notified Congress, on May 2, of the conflict. In a statement to NewsNation, The Hill’s sister network, the official cited President Trump’s announcement of a temporary truce on April 7 to back his claim.

Similarly, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday that the clock stopped with the halt in strikes.

“We are in a ceasefire right now, which our understanding means the 60-day clock pauses or stops in a ceasefire,” Hegseth told Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) during the hearing.

The senator cast doubt on this reasoning, saying he did not believe that the War Powers Act — which allows the president to deploy U.S. forces into a conflict for up to 60 days without congressional approval if there is an “imminent threat” — supported this explanation.

The president, however, can request a 30-day extension to facilitate the safe withdrawal of troops.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) also told NBC News on Thursday that the U.S. is “not at war” with Iran.

“I don’t think we have an active, kinetic military bombing, firing or anything like that. Right now, we are trying to broker a peace,” Johnson said. “I would be very reluctant to get in front of the administration in the midst of these very sensitive negotiations, so we’ll have to see how that plays out.”

However, not all Republican lawmakers were in agreement on this new timeline.

Two GOP lawmakers, Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and Rand Paul (Ky.), joined Democrats on Thursday in their latest attempt to force the Trump administration to withdraw troops from the Middle East. The resolution was defeated by three votes, including one from Democratic Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.).

In a statement after her vote, Collins emphasized that Trump’s military powers are “not without limits.”

“The Constitution gives Congress an essential role in decisions of war and peace, and the War Powers Act establishes a clear 60-day deadline for Congress to either authorize or end U.S. involvement in foreign hostilities,” she said in a statement. “That deadline is not a suggestion; it is a requirement.”

Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah), who voted against the war powers resolution, said he would withhold support for additional funding for the conflict until Congress is consulted.

“This is not an adversarial stance against the Administration; rather, it is a commitment to our system of government,” the senator wrote in a statement. “It is critical to our national security that Iran’s malign capabilities are neutralized, but it is equally critical that we do so on a sound constitutional footing.”

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