WASHINGTON — The White House is claiming that military operations against Iran have concluded thanks to a ceasefire implemented in early April, a position that would let the administration bypass congressional authorization requirements.
This stance builds upon arguments presented by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during Senate testimony Thursday, where he stated the ceasefire essentially put the conflict on hold. Using this logic, the administration contends it hasn’t reached the threshold established by the 1973 War Powers Resolution requiring formal congressional consent for military operations lasting more than 60 days.
An unnamed senior administration official explained the government’s position, stating that “the hostilities that began on Saturday, Feb. 28 have terminated.” The official noted that American forces and Iranian military units haven’t engaged in combat since the two-week truce started on April 7.
Despite the extended ceasefire, Iran continues controlling the Strait of Hormuz while U.S. naval forces maintain a blockade preventing Iranian oil vessels from reaching international waters.
The War Powers Resolution, designed to limit presidential military authority, required President Donald Trump to obtain congressional approval or end combat operations by Friday. The legislation also permits administrations to extend this timeframe by an additional 30 days.
Democratic lawmakers have demanded formal authorization for the Iranian conflict, with the 60-day milestone expected to become a crucial decision point for Republican legislators who supported initial action against Tehran while demanding congressional involvement for extended operations.
“That deadline is not a suggestion; it is a requirement,” stated Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who supported Thursday’s measure to halt Iranian military action without congressional approval. She emphasized that “further military action against Iran must have a clear mission, achievable goals, and a defined strategy for bringing the conflict to a close.”
Richard Goldberg, former National Security Council director for countering Iranian weapons of mass destruction during Trump’s initial presidency, recommended transitioning to a fresh operation potentially named “Epic Passage,” serving as a follow-up to Operation Epic Fury.
This new mission would “inherently be a mission of self-defense focused on reopening the strait while reserving the right to offensive action in support of restoring freedom of navigation,” according to Goldberg, currently a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based hawkish policy institute.
“That to me solves it all,” Goldberg added.
During Senate Armed Services Committee hearings Thursday, Hegseth testified it was the administration’s “understanding” that the 60-day timeline was suspended during the bilateral ceasefire period.
Katherine Yon Ebright, counsel at the Brennan Center’s Liberty and National Security Program and war powers specialist, described this interpretation as a “sizeable extension of previous legal gamesmanship” concerning the 1973 legislation.
“To be very, very clear and unambiguous, nothing in the text or design of the War Powers Resolution suggests that the 60-day clock can be paused or terminated,” she explained.
Previous administrations have contended their military actions were either insufficient in intensity or too sporadic to fall under War Powers Resolution requirements. However, Trump’s Iranian conflict wouldn’t qualify for such exemptions, Ebright noted, urging lawmakers to challenge the administration’s reasoning.
