Hegseth ceasefire

Washington (dpa) — US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday that the US administration may continue the war against Iran for weeks without what many lawmakers see as required congressional approval after 60 days of deployment because a ceasefire had paused that deadline.

“We are in a ceasefire right now, which our understanding means the 60-day clock pauses or stops in a cease fire,” he told a Senate committee.

The 1973 War Powers Resolution, passed after the disastrous US experience in the Vietnam War, says nothing about pausing a deadline in the event of a ceasefire. The law limits military deployments without congressional approval to a maximum of 60 days.

Most US media are reporting that the 60-day period ends on Friday, as Trump informed Congress on March 2 after starting the war on February 28. However, depending on how it is calculated, the 60 days cited in the wording of the law could end at midnight as May 1 begins or midnight of May 2.

Hegseth ceasefire

Democratic Senator Tim Kaine asked Hegseth, given that the deadline that allows a president to wage war without parliamentary or congressional consent expires soon, if US President Donald Trump would ask for a 30-day extension.

Hegseth did not respond.

The aim of the deadline is to prevent the United States from being drawn into lengthy deployments that lack legitimacy.

After the 60 days end, Trump would theoretically be forced to withdraw US troops in stages. This would also apply to naval forces and ships that are currently maintaining the US blockade of Iranian ports despite the ceasefire.