US President Donald Trump has sent a formal letter to Congressional leaders declaring that the ongoing armed conflict with Iran has “ended.”
The letter comes as the 60-day deadline under US law, the War Powers Act, was about to expire.
In a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senator Chuck Grassley, President Trump stated that conflict that began on February 28, 2026, has now ended.
The letter states that the ceasefire ordered for two weeks on April 7, 2026, has been extended and that no fire has been exchanged between US forces and Iran since that date.
The president claimed that “Operation Epic Fury” had severely damaged Iranian military capabilities, including the navy and air force, achieving US objectives.
Legal experts are calling President Trump’s announcement an attempt to avoid the impact of the ‘War Powers Resolution’.
According to US law, the president must seek approval from Congress within 60 days for any military action. This period was due to expire on Friday, May 1, and by declaring the “de-escalation”, the president has likely bypassed the need for a vote in Congress.
Speaking to the media as he left the White House, Trump called the ‘War Powers Act’ “totally unconstitutional”, saying that he had never cared about it before and would not do so now.
Although Trump has announced a “de-escalation”, the situation is still complex:
The letter also acknowledges that Iran continues to pose a threat to US interests and forces in the region, so the Pentagon will maintain its military posture.
According to reports, Iran has sent a new peace proposal through Pakistan, but President Trump has said that he is “not satisfied” with it at the moment because Iran is demanding things that the US cannot accept.
Along with this announcement of the end of tensions, Washington has also imposed new sanctions on 21 companies and several ships in order to maintain pressure on Iran.
The opposition (Democrats) have criticized the letter, saying that just writing a letter does not change the ground realities and the lives of thousands of US soldiers in the region are still at risk.
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