Trump Ceasefire Iran letter says hostilities terminated on May 1
Donald Trump told congressional leaders in a May 1 letter that hostilities with Iran had terminated, and he said the ceasefire he ordered on April 7 had been extended. In Friday remarks, Trump also said he would not seek congressional approval for the military campaign, putting trump ceasefire iran at the center of a fight over presidential war powers.
The letter said, “On April 7, 2026, I ordered a 2-week ceasefire,” and added, “The ceasefire has since been extended.” Trump wrote that “The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026, have terminated.” Friday marked 60 days since Trump notified Congress that the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran, the point at which the War Powers Act would normally require congressional approval to keep military operations going.
Trump and Congress
Trump told reporters as he departed the White House on Friday that he had no intention of seeking congressional approval for the campaign. He said the War Powers Act was “totally unconstitutional,” while also saying, “it’s never been sought before.”
Mike Johnson, the Republican House speaker, and Chuck Grassley, the Republican senator and president pro tempore of the Senate, were named in the 1 May letter. Chuck Schumer responded on X by calling the move “an illegal war,” and Jeanne Shaheen said Trump’s declaration did not reflect the reality that tens of thousands of United States service members in the region were still in harm’s way.
Iran strikes and legal dispute
Trump said he initiated Operation Epic Fury against Iran and notified Congress on 28 February 2026 consistent with his responsibility to protect Americans and United States interests at home and abroad. He wrote that there had been no exchange of fire between United States Forces and Iran since April 7, 2026.
The ACLU sent a letter to the White House on Friday expressing profound concern that the president was carrying out an illegal war. That dispute now runs alongside the president’s claim that the ceasefire has extended and his assertion that the hostilities have ended, even as lawmakers and legal groups press the argument that the 60-day clock still matters under the War Powers Act.
The next step in the fight is political, not military: Congress can now respond to Trump’s declaration as lawmakers decide whether to accept his reading of the ceasefire and the War Powers deadline, or challenge it as outside presidential authority.
