U.S. government says ceasefire pauses 60-day limit as Iran war deadline nears

The Trump administration, which is waging war against Iran without congressional approval, said that a ceasefire means military action against Iran would remain legal under U.S. law even after May 1 local time.
According to The Hill, Pete Hegseth, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, appeared before a hearing of the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services on April 30. During the hearing, Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia cited the War Powers Resolution and asked whether the Trump administration's war with Iran would still be legal after May 1. Hegseth replied, "We are currently in a ceasefire. We understand that in a ceasefire, the 60-day clock is paused or stopped." On the legal issue, he added, "Ultimately, we will defer to the judgment of the White House and White House counsel."
Under the War Powers Resolution, enacted in 1973, if the U.S. government starts a war without congressional approval, it must either end military operations within 60 days from the time it first notifies Congress of the use of force or obtain approval to continue combat. To extend the deadline, the president must demonstrate an "imminent military necessity" to Congress, in which case an additional 30 days is allowed.
Donald John Trump launched a large-scale military operation against Iran on February 28 without congressional authorization. The Trump administration notified Congress of the operation on March 2, and the legally permitted period for waging war without congressional approval expires on May 1.
Earlier, Trump announced on April 7 that he would observe a two-week ceasefire with Iran. The two sides then held their first high-level talks to end the war on April 11-12, but failed to reach an agreement. Trump later declared an indefinite extension of the ceasefire on April 21.
Sen. Kaine, a Democrat, pushed back on Hegseth's claim that the deadline was paused, saying, "The law would not support such an argument." He added, "The 60-day deadline will probably expire tomorrow, and Congress will be raising a very serious legal issue for the administration. We have serious constitutional concerns, and we do not want to add a legal issue on top of that."
pjw@fnnews.com Reporter Park Jong-won Reporter