Washington, May 2. US President Donald Trump told lawmakers that the war against Iran is “over” and therefore the deadline for seeking approval from Congress for military action does not apply to him. The White House has sent a letter to the US Parliament in this regard. “There will be no firing between the United States and Iran after April 7, 2026,” Trump said in a letter to congressional leaders, according to Politico. “The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026, have now ended,” he said.
Xinhua News Agency quoted the report as saying that this step is an attempt to calm the debate over whether Congress’s approval was necessary for this military action. Under the War Powers Resolution, enacted in 1973, the President has to end the action within 60 days after notifying Congress of the use of military force. They cannot continue military action without congressional approval. America and Israel launched major military operations against Iran on February 28. The Trump administration had formally informed Congress about this on March 2, according to which the 60-day deadline was to end on May 1.
At the same time, Trump also said on Friday that talks with Iran are still uncertain and he is “not satisfied” with the current proposals, although he has kept the options of both diplomacy and military action open. “They want to compromise, but I am not satisfied with it, so let’s see what happens,” he said. Trump described Iran’s leadership as fragmented and full of disagreements. “They all want to compromise, but they are completely in a bind,” he said, describing the leadership as “very disorganized.”
He also said internal differences were weakening Tehran’s negotiating position. According to him, the leaders are not in agreement among themselves and it is also not clear who is the real leader, which is complicating the talks. Trump claimed that Iran’s military capability has become significantly weakened after the recent conflict. According to him, the country has “no navy”, “no air force” and its defense capability remains limited.
Despite the fiery rhetoric, Trump said he preferred a diplomatic solution. “Should we go and destroy it completely, or try to reach a compromise? I wouldn’t want to do that on humanitarian grounds,” he said. However, he made it clear that if talks fail, military action also remains an option. “These are the only options,” he said.
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