Donald Trump declares in a letter to the U.S. Congress that hostilities against Iran are terminated, with ceasefire in effect

In this letter addressed to officials, the President of the United States assures that he respects the theoretical deadline of 60 days, after which lawmakers must give their approval for military force.

There is still no indication that the conflict in Iran is over. But Donald Trump, on his part, stated that hostilities against the Islamic Republic were “terminated” in a letter to Congress revealed by the media outlet Politico on Friday, May 1, and later confirmed by other outlets including AFP. He explains his compliance with the law requiring the American President to obtain Congressional authorization to extend a conflict beyond 60 days.

“On April 7, 2026, I ordered a two-week ceasefire. The ceasefire has since been extended,” wrote Donald Trump. “There have been no exchanges of fire between U.S. forces and Iran since April 7, 2026. The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026 are over.” This letter was sent on the theoretical deadline date for obtaining Congressional authorization to continue the war against Iran.

A law passed in 1973 allows the President to trigger a limited military intervention to respond to an emergency situation created by an attack on the United States. The same law requires the President, if deploying troops for more than 60 days, to obtain authorization from the legislative branch, different from a declaration of war. Democrats have tried several times to pass a bill limiting Donald Trump’s military powers against Iran, but without success.

However, some Republican lawmakers still warned that after this 60-day period, they could start demanding Executive Branch authorization from the Congress. In recent days, the Trump administration seemed to be playing for time. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that “the 60-day clock [was] paused,” due to the ongoing ceasefire, giving Donald Trump more time.

“Those who ask are not patriots,” declared the American President during an exchange with journalists at the White House, referring to lawmakers demanding respect for the 1973 law. After hinting that he did not plan to seek Congressional approval, he seems to have wanted to manage appearances. Several Democratic lawmakers, however, pointed out that the continued presence of American forces in the region suggests a continuation of military operations. And during the day, Donald Trump renewed his threat to “obliterate” the Islamic Republic in case of diplomatic failure. He specifically mentioned that he was “not satisfied” with a new offer from Iran to restart peace negotiations.