President Donald Trump has informed the United States Congress that hostilities with Iran have “terminated,” a legally contentious declaration timed to circumvent the 60-day deadline imposed by the War Powers Resolution of 1973. In letters dispatched to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley on Friday, Trump argued that a ceasefire in effect since April 7 has ended active combat, resetting the statutory clock. “There has been no exchange of fire between the United States Forces and Iran since April 7, 2026,” he wrote. “The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026 have terminated.” The assertion allows the White House to sidestep a requirement to seek congressional authorisation or begin withdrawing troops, a manoeuvre that critics denounce as an end-run around constitutional war powers.

Viewed from Washington, the administration’s position has received tacit acquiescence from Republican lawmakers who, despite earlier reservations about the conflict, have declined to enforce the deadline. The Senate this week rejected a sixth Democratic attempt to halt the war, and both chambers then adjourned for a week. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told senators on Thursday that the ceasefire effectively paused the 60-day timeline, a rationale echoed by a senior administration official who said the war was “concluded” for legal purposes. Democrats, however, reject this interpretation outright. Senator Chris Van Hollen described the president’s letter as a transparent dodge, noting that American forces remain in the region, the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed, and a naval blockade of Iranian oil exports continues.

From Tehran, the picture is more ambiguous. Iranian state media reported that a fresh proposal for a permanent settlement was transmitted through Pakistani intermediaries on Friday, though Trump told reporters he was “not happy” with the terms. The ceasefire itself remains fragile, with no fixed end date and both sides maintaining the capacity to resume strikes. Analysts in London observe that the president’s reliance on a narrow reading of the War Powers Resolution — one that treats a pause in exchanges as a termination of hostilities — invites future legal challenges and risks eroding congressional authority further. Past presidents, from Bill Clinton to Barack Obama, have stretched the law; Trump is now exploiting its ambiguities with unprecedented bluntness.

Looking ahead, the strategic impasse endures. The ceasefire has halted open combat but has resolved none of the underlying disputes: Iran’s nuclear programme, its support for regional proxies, and the American military build-up in the Gulf. With Congress unwilling to intervene and the White House asserting that the war is over — even as troops remain in harm’s way — the stage is set for a prolonged, low-intensity confrontation governed by executive fiat rather than legislative consent. For a president facing a volatile electoral landscape, the domestic political calculus is clear: avoid a divisive vote on the war while keeping military options open. Whether the law, or the Constitution, will ultimately constrain that ambition remains an open question.