With the ongoing blockade around the Strait of Hormuz pushing oil prices to the maximum, the Donald Trump administration has insisted that the United States is “not at war” with Iran. The statement came as the 60-day legal deadline requiring congressional approval for military action approaches on Friday. The team argued that a ceasefire with Iran effectively “pauses” the deadline.
When asked about the deadline, US House Speaker Mike Johnson told NBC News, “We are not at war.”
“I don’t think we have an active, kinetic military bombing, firing, or anything like that. Right now, we are trying to broker a peace,” he said.
Johnson further added, “I would be very reluctant to get in front of the administration in the midst of these very sensitive negotiations, so we’ll have to see how that plays out.”
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told lawmakers he believed the current ceasefire puts a pause on the deadline for congressional approval for the war.
Trump is required by the law to seek authorisation from Congress for the war with Iran on the 60-day mark of the war, which is on May 1.
Hegseth responded to Democratic Senator Tim Kaine at a congressional hearing regarding the authorisation, “Ultimately, I would defer to the White House and White House counsel on that. However, we are in a ceasefire right now, which, in our understanding, means the 60-day clock pauses or stops in a ceasefire.”
While the joint attacks of Israel and the United States on Iran began on February 28, Trump notified the Congress of the military campaign on March 2, which makes May 1 the 60-day point the US War Powers Act requires the president to relax operations unless he receives congressional authorisation.
Senator Kaine disagreed with Hegseth’s stance, believing the statute would not support such an argument.
“I think the 60 days runs (out) maybe tomorrow, and that’s going to pose a really important legal question for the administration there,” he said.
The War Powers Act has rarely been successful in limiting presidential war-making, with courts typically being reluctant to intervene. However, Democrats continue to remain hopeful of an end to the conflict.
