Politics
Trump’s War Powers Letter Claims the War Ended April 7. His Blockade Says Otherwise.
By Mike Harper · May 4, 2026
On Friday, May 1 — the 60-day War Powers Resolution deadline — President Trump sent letters to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley declaring the Iran war legally over.
“The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026, have terminated,” Trump wrote in the letters, citing the ceasefire that began April 7.
He also wrote in the same letter that “the threat posed by Iran to the United States and our Armed Forces remains significant.”
He did not lift the naval blockade. He did not withdraw forces from the Persian Gulf. He did not request congressional authorization. He simply told Congress the war was over — and then continued running it.
The War Powers Resolution of 1973 requires the president to obtain congressional approval or wind down military operations within 60 days of notifying Congress that hostilities have begun. Trump notified Congress on March 2, making May 1 the 60-day deadline. His argument for why that deadline does not apply to him: the ceasefire that began April 7 ended the hostilities, so the clock stopped.
Legal scholars disagree with that interpretation almost unanimously.
“There’s no pause button in the Constitution, or the War Powers Act,” Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said on social media Friday. “We’re at war. We’ve been at war for 60 days. The blockade alone is a continuing act of war.”
Senator Adam Smith of Washington, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, was more blunt about his expectations. “Is the expectation that the Trump administration is going to follow the law? I do not have that expectation.”
The letter puts Republicans in an uncomfortable position. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Thursday he does not plan to hold a vote authorizing the war. Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri said the administration has the ability to request a 30-day extension under the statute and that “the ball is in the administration’s court.” Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said she will introduce an authorization for the use of military force — a formal AUMF — when the Senate returns from recess the week of May 11 if the administration has not presented a plan by then.
Susan Collins of Maine was the only Republican to vote with Democrats on the sixth war powers resolution vote Thursday, joining Rand Paul. Her statement made the constitutional case plainly: “The Constitution gives Congress an essential role in decisions of war and peace, and the War Powers Act establishes a clear 60-day deadline for Congress to either authorize or end U.S. involvement in foreign hostilities.”
The vote failed 47-50.
The argument Trump is now making — that a ceasefire ends the hostilities and stops the clock — is legally significant in ways that extend well beyond this conflict. If accepted by courts or acquiesced to by Congress, it establishes a precedent that any future president can begin a war, issue a ceasefire before the 60-day mark, and continue military operations indefinitely without ever seeking authorization. The War Powers Resolution, already weakened by decades of executive branch resistance, would be effectively nullified.
Iran’s reaction to the letter was predictable. An IRGC commander said the blockade constitutes a continuing act of war and warned of “long and painful strikes” on U.S. regional positions if any new attacks were launched. Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei reiterated Thursday that nuclear and missile capabilities are non-negotiable — a direct answer to the terms Trump has said he requires for any permanent deal.
The war Trump declared terminated on April 7 is, by most available measures, still running. The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed. Gas nationally hit $4.39 last week. The USS Gerald R. Ford continues routine flight operations in the Red Sea. And Trump is still calling Iran’s leadership a negotiating counterpart whose proposal he is reviewing.