Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth argued Thursday that a ceasefire with Iran delays a legal deadline that would otherwise force President Donald Trump to seek congressional approval for the war or begin withdrawing U.S. forces from the conflict at the end of the week.
His comments, at a Senate Armed Services hearing, come as the ongoing military conflict with Iran nears Friday’s 60-day mark — a threshold outlined in the 1973 War Powers Resolution, which says that the president has to remove military forces from a conflict within 60 days if Congress hasn’t authorized a war.
“We are in a ceasefire right now, which in our understanding means the 60-day clock stops,” Hegseth said in an exchange with Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat.