Trump says Iran war “terminated” as 60-day congressional deadline arrives

President Donald Trump on Friday said hostilities with Iran have terminated, according to a letter he sent to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La. No exchange of fire between the two countries had occurred since April 7, when the ongoing ceasefire began, he said. The Defense Department was continuing to position troops in the region, including nearby countries, to protect the United States and its allies, he said. Trump’s statement came as some lawmakers accused him of violating the 1973 War Powers Resolution.

The resolution allows the president to conduct military action for 60 days without congressional authorization if responding to an imminent threat. But once that deadline is reached, the law requires him to halt the use of the U.S. armed forces. The conflict began on Feb. 28, and Trump formally informed Congress on March 2, starting the clock on the 60-day deadline that ends on Friday.

How have critics responded? Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., on Friday said that the resolution didn’t have a pause button for ceasefires. The continuing U.S. blockade of Iranian ports alone was an act of war, Blumenthal said. While backlash against Trump’s take on the conflict mostly came from Democrats, two Republican senators—Rand Paul of Kentucky and Susan Collins of Maine—on Thursday voted for a war powers resolution to pull U.S. troops out of hostilities with Iran. Two other Republicans abstained from the vote.

Dig deeper: Read Liz Lykins’ report on the latest statement attributed to Iranian leader Mojtaba Khamenei.