Trump tells Congress the Iran war has ‘terminated’ as legal deadline hits

U.S. President Donald Trump notified lawmakers Friday that the Iran war has “terminated” — an effort to quelch the fight over the need for Congress to approve the conflict.

The White House laid out its rationale in a letter, obtained by POLITICO, as the Middle East conflict reached a 60-day legal deadline under which operations must halt unless lawmakers authorize military force. A ceasefire with Tehran, Trump argued, effectively stops the clock.

The missive seeks to head off a growing battle on Capitol Hill, where Trump faces the prospect of losing Republican support as the war stretches into its second month with no clear exit strategy. But the White House’s reasoning won’t sit well with Democrats and some Republicans, who argue the administration must wind down the campaign now that it has reached that benchmark.

“There has been no exchange of fire between the United States and Iran since April 7, 2026,” Trump wrote, noting a ceasefire he has indefinitely extended. “The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026, have terminated.”

The letter also comes amid stalled talks and a continued military blockade of Iranian ports. The president told reporters before leaving the White House for Florida on Friday that he had given Iran “a final proposal” but expressed pessimism about being able to reach an agreement with the country’s “disjointed” government.

“They’ve made strides, but I’m not sure they’ll ever get there,” he said. “I would say I’m not happy. … They want to make a deal, but I’m not satisfied.”

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth previewed the legal argument that the administration would use to continue the Middle East campaign Thursday on Capitol Hill. He told senators in a hearing that the ceasefire “means the 60-day clock pauses, or stops.”

The 1973 War Powers Resolution requires U.S. forces to withdraw from a conflict 60 days after the president notifies Congress, unless lawmakers vote to authorize continued military action. The White House can seek to extend military operations for another 30 days for the purposes of winding down the conflict.

Cracks in the almost uniform GOP support for Trump emerged Thursday, when Sen. Susan Collins of Maine became the first Republican senator to switch votes since the war began in February. Collins, the GOP’s most endangered incumbent in the coming midterms, had telegraphed that she wouldn’t support the war after the legal deadline.

“That deadline is not a suggestion; it is a requirement,” Collins said in a statement explaining her vote.

The failed vote signaled Trump’s GOP support for the war could be starting to wane, particularly with a public who largely wants it to end.

Trump on Thursday derided lawmakers who were pushing for authorization. “I don’t think it’s constitutional what they’re asking for,” he said. “These are not patriotic people.”

Advocates of reining in Trump through the 1973 law contend he is misreading the statute. And they note that despite the ceasefire, the U.S. military is still engaged in a blockade meant to force Tehran’s hand as Trump seeks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, not to mention roughly 50,000 American troops still stationed in the Middle East.

Trump also argued Thursday that past leaders have not followed the 60-day rule. “Many presidents, as you know, have gone and exceeded it,” he said. Every other president considered it totally unconstitutional.”

Pentagon officials have said American military forces remain on standby to resume attacks on Iran if peace talks break down.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) on Thursday called the idea that the White House could declare the war over without withdrawing troops from the region “just wrong.” But he said Republicans must join with Democrats to hold the administration accountable for the violation.

“I hope they’ll hear enough from their constituents about the unpopularity of this war and the fact that it doesn’t justify sending our sons and daughters to risk their lives,” he said, “that they’ll start voting in accord with the constitutional oath that they’ve taken.”

Leo Shane III contributed to this report.