The White House claims that the war with Iran is over as the deadline on war powers nears its end

President Donald Trump declared that a ceasefire had ended hostilities against Iran, seeking to bolster his argument that he does not need legislators’ approval to continue the conflict.

In a letter to congressional leaders on Friday, the deadline for addressing the legislative body regarding the war, Trump stated that no exchange of fire had occurred with Iran since the ceasefire. ‘The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026, have ended,’ he declared.

Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, a U.S. president can only conduct military action for 60 days before terminating it, seeking Congressional approval, or requesting a 30-day extension due to an ‘unavoidable military necessity concerning the security of U.S. armed forces’ while withdrawing troops.

On Friday, the Iranian state news agency IRNA reported that Tehran had conveyed its final negotiation proposal with the U.S. to Pakistani mediators. Trump promptly rejected it.

The high-ranking official in the Trump administration declared on Thursday that, according to the administration, the deadline provided by the War Powers law did not apply. Trump argued that he viewed the War Powers law as unconstitutional. Republican and Democratic presidents have argued that this measure violates the Constitution by imposing limits on the president’s powers as commander in chief. Legal experts note that the issue has not been resolved by the courts.

‘We have a ceasefire, which gives us additional time,’ Trump stated before leaving Washington for Florida.

Democratic lawmakers in Congress, who have repeatedly tried to pass legislation on war powers requiring Trump to end the conflict or seek parliamentary authorization, rejected this interpretation, stating that nothing in the 1973 law provided for a ceasefire.

They also highlighted that the ongoing deployment of U.S. ships blocking Iranian oil exports was evidence of persistent hostility, not a ceasefire.

‘After sixty days of conflict, President Trump still has no strategy or resolution for this poorly planned war,’ said Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, calling the deadline a ‘clear legal threshold’ requiring action from Trump.

In his letter to Congress, Trump acknowledged that the conflict may not be resolved. He stated that Iran still poses a ‘significant’ threat to the U.S. and its armed forces.

Republican allies of Trump, who hold slim majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives and rarely break with him, almost unanimously voted to block every resolution aimed at ending the conflict.

The war in Iran has resulted in thousands of deaths, billions of dollars in damage, and disrupted global markets, hindering energy exports and driving up a wide range of consumer prices.

Polls show that the war is unpopular among Americans, six months before the November elections that will determine who controls Congress next year.

The U.S. Constitution states that only Congress, not the president, can declare war, but this restriction does not apply to short-term operations or countering an immediate threat.

On Thursday, Trump received a briefing on plans for new military strikes aimed at compelling Iran to negotiate a resolution to the conflict.

If fighting resumes, Trump can inform legislators that he has started a new 60-day cycle. Presidents from both parties have done this repeatedly during intermittent hostilities since Congress passed the War Powers law in response to the Vietnam War.

This conflict, widely unpopular among Americans, was also not authorized by Congress.