“There has been no exchange of fire between the United States and Iran since April 7, 2026,” Trump wrote, noting a ceasefire he has indefinitely extended. “The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026, have terminated.”
The letter also comes amid stalled talks and a continued military blockade of Iranian ports. The president told reporters before leaving the White House for Florida on Friday that he had given Iran “a final proposal” but expressed pessimism about being able to reach an agreement with the country’s “disjointed” government.
“They’ve made strides, but I’m not sure they’ll ever get there,” he said. “I would say I’m not happy. … They want to make a deal, but I’m not satisfied.”
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth previewed the legal argument that the administration would use to continue the Middle East campaign Thursday on Capitol Hill. He told senators in a hearing that the ceasefire “means the 60-day clock pauses, or stops.”
The 1973 War Powers Resolution requires U.S. forces to withdraw from a conflict 60 days after the president notifies Congress, unless lawmakers vote to authorize continued military action. The White House can seek to extend military operations for another 30 days for the purposes of winding down the conflict.
Cracks in the almost uniform GOP support for Trump emerged Thursday, when Sen. Susan Collins of Maine became the first Republican senator to switch votes since the war began in February. Collins, the GOP’s most endangered incumbent in the coming midterms, had telegraphed that she wouldn’t support the war after the legal deadline.