A U.S. official told Reuters that under American law—which bars sending military forces into combat for more than 60 days without congressional approval—President Donald Trump nearly reached the deadline yesterday (Thursday) to end fighting with Iran. But he found a way around the restriction: a ceasefire.
According to the report, the fighting with Iran, which began about two months ago, was approaching the end of the timeframe set by the War Powers Act, which requires formal congressional approval to extend it. But Trump found a way around this through the ceasefire agreement. Since no direct fire exchanges between U.S. forces and Iran were recorded in the last three weeks, the legal “clock” stopped—effectively paving the way for continued American military presence in Iran without needing a new congressional vote.
The move has sparked political and legal uproar in the United States. While Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth backed the White House position in a Senate hearing, Democratic members of Congress rejected the interpretation and argued it has no basis, and that Trump is trying to strip Congress of its constitutional authority to declare war.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a Senate hearing this week that “to the best of his understanding, the 60-day clock stopped during the ceasefire.” Democrats in the opposition disputed this, arguing there is no legal basis for it.
They also argued that the U.S. Constitution stipulates that only Congress, not the president, is authorized to declare war. But this restriction doesn’t apply to actions the administration presents as short-term or as responding to an immediate threat.