Trump tells Congress ceasefire means he does not need their approval for Iran war

Trump claims Iran ceasefire ends Congress war authority under 1973 Act

Muhammad Asghar | GlobalBeat

President Donald Trump informed Congressional leaders that the 11-day-old Gaza ceasefire removes the legal requirement for lawmakers to authorize military action against Iran.

The White House delivered the interpretation in a 3-page letter hours after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard renewed threats to retaliate for Israeli airstrikes on its Damascus consulate.

The argument rests on the 1973 War Powers Resolution, which mandates presidents to seek congressional approval within 60 days of deploying forces into “hostilities.” Trump admin lawyers contend the pause in Gaza fighting breaks the continuity of regional combat, resetting that clock to zero.

Capitol Hill veterans called the claim unprecedented. “No president has tried to use a third-party truce to duck the war powers clock,” Sen. Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia and co-author of a 2019 failed bid to limit Trump’s Iran actions, told reporters. Republicans largely stayed silent, underscoring party divisions over another Middle East war.

The letter arrived amid rising anxiety that Israel and Iran could slide into direct conflict. The Pentagon has already moved an aircraft carrier group to the Gulf and placed 1,200 Marines on 48-hour deploy notice. Tehran broadcast drone footage of Israeli bases Monday, warning that “the countdown has begun.”

Three scenarios worry planners. The first is an Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear sites, a move Trump has refused to rule out supporting. The second is an Iranian missile barrage on Israeli cities, similar to the 400-drone assault fired in April. The third, and most murky, involves Hezbollah opening a second front from Lebanon, dragging U.S. assets across the region into the fight.

Defense Department officials privately reject the White House legal theory. “Ceasefire or not, if American troops engage Iranian forces we still need an AUMF,” one senior planner said, referring to the Authorization for Use of Military Force that underpinned wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The planner, not cleared to speak publicly, predicted courts would block any unilateral strike.

Congress has failed for five years to pass a new Iran-specific war authorization. The last attempt, a 2019 measure that would have barred funding for hostilities without express approval, died in the Senate after a 50-40 vote. Lawmakers instead inserted reporting requirements into annual defense bills, measures Trump bypassed in January 2020 when ordering the drone killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.

Regional governments urged restraint. Jordan’s foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, flew to Washington Monday to warn that any U.S. strike would “ignite the entire region.” Saudi Arabia quietly reminded the administration that its airspace would remain closed to offensive operations, complicating strike routes. Only the United Arab Emirates, which normalized ties with Israel in 2020, signaled it might allow logistical support, according to three diplomats cited by Reuters.

Markets reacted sharply. Brent crude jumped $2.41 to $93.70 per barrel on news of the administration’s legal claim, extending a rally driven by fears that the Strait of Hormuz could be closed. Insurance underwriters raised war-risk premiums for tankers transiting the Gulf by 28 percent, adding roughly $400,000 to the cost of a single voyage, shipbroker Clarksons said. Airlines rerouted Asia-Europe cargo flights away from Iranian airspace, adding 90 minutes to average flight times.

Background

The U.S. has danced on the edge of open war with Iran since the 1979 embassy seizure. The closest call came in June 2019, when Trump ordered then canceled airstrikes after Iran downed an American surveillance drone. Soleimani’s death in January 2020 triggered Iranian missile strikes on U.S. bases in Iraq that left more than 100 American troops with traumatic brain injuries but no fatalities, allowing both sides to step back.

Congress last declared war in 1942, against Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania. Every major U.S. military operation since has rested on resolutions, authorizations, or vague constitutional claims of commander-in-chief power. The 1973 War Powers Act tried to claw back authority after Vietnam, but scholars say its vague definition of “hostilities” and lack of enforcement teeth have let presidents ignore it with impunity.

What’s Next

House Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican of Louisiana, must decide by Friday whether to bring a Democrat-backed resolution requiring Trump to seek approval before any Iran strike. Even if it passes the House, Senate majority leader John Thune conceded Republicans lack the 60 votes needed to force a chamber vote, leaving any constraint to rely on wavering GOP defense hawks.