World
'Not At War With Iran': Trump Administration's BIG Claim As 60-Day Deadline Nears End
Washington DC: The Donald Trump administration has said that the United States is not at “war with Iran.” The remarks by US House Speaker Mike Johnson came as the legal deadline of 60 days for securing congressional approval for military action draws near. The Trump administration is of the opinion that the ceasefire with Iran also pauses the legal deadline. Notably, the ongoing Middle East conflict has hiked oil prices across the world and also adversely affected markets. When Johnson was asked about the deadline, he said, “We are not at war.”
“I don’t think we have an active, kinetic military bombing, firing, or anything like that. Right now, we are trying to broker a peace,” the US House speaker told NBC News. “I would be very reluctant to get in front of the administration in the midst of these very sensitive negotiations, so we’ll have to see how that plays out,” he added.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth told lawmakers that the ceasefire with Iran “pauses” the 60-day legal deadline for congressional approval for the war. Hegseth made these remarks when Democratic Senator Tim Kaine asked him whether the Trump administration would seek approval from the Congress to continue the war with Iran. Notably, the 60-day deadline is ending on May 1.
“Ultimately, I would defer to the White House and the White House counsel on that; however, we are in a ceasefire right now, which our understanding means the 60-day clock pauses or stops in a ceasefire,” Hegseth said, responding to Kaine during a congressional hearing, as reported by CNN. The US Secretary of Defence told senators that the Pentagon maintained strict protections for civilians.
However, Kaine rejected that interpretation, saying, “I do not believe the statute would support that,” and warned that the issue raises “a really important legal question for the administration.”
The hearing also included scrutiny over a reported strike early in the conflict that killed more than 170 people at a girls’ school.
Meanwhile, on Thursday (local time), US President Donald Trump made a series of claims about Iran, its internal situation, and Washington’s ongoing actions. He asserted that American intervention has prevented mass executions and significantly degraded Iran’s military capabilities.
For the unversed, under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, a president must obtain congressional approval or end military operations within 60 days of initiating a military action.
