When does Iran war hit 60 days?

It has been more than two months since the U.S. and Israel launched joint military operations on Iran at the end of February.

Since the first strikes on Feb. 28, 13 U.S. service members have died in the conflict and hundreds more have been injured. Additionally, Iranian counterstrikes in the Persian Gulf region and a U.S. naval blockade have effectively shuttered the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil trading route, sending global energy prices skyrocketing.

The Trump administration is attempting to broker a new nuclear deal with Iran amid a temporary ceasefire period.

President Trump has repeatedly called the conflict a “war,” despite never receiving congressional approval. The lack of a formal approval process has stirred disputes among lawmakers over the length of the conflict.

Under the War Powers Act of 1973, the president is required to notify Congress within a two-day period of launching military action in response to imminent or ongoing threats. Additionally, the law stipulates that the executive branch receive congressional approval to continue military operations for longer than 60 days.

The president can request a 30-day extension to ensure the safe withdrawal of U.S. troops.

The Trump administration sent a formal letter to the legislature on March 2, which would make Friday the 60-day mark in the authorization window. The deadline will pass at midnight.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) brushed off the deadline pressure entirely on Thursday, telling reporters that congressional input was not necessary because the U.S. is “not at war” currently.

“I don’t think we have an active, kinetic military bombing, firing or anything like that,” Johnson told NBC News. “Right now, we are trying to broker a peace. 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.”

Similarly, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth argued to lawmakers on Thursday that the clock stopped when Trump entered into a ceasefire deal with Iran on April 7, cutting the count short by several weeks.

“We are in a ceasefire right now, which our understanding means the 60-day clock pauses or stops in a ceasefire,” he told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday.

Democratic lawmakers on the committee, including Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), disputed the Pentagon chief’s claim during the budget hearing.

“I do not believe the statute would support that,” he responded. “I think the 60 days runs maybe tomorrow, and it’s going to pose a really important legal question for the administration there.”

In a primetime address to the nation on April 1, the president told Americans the conflict would end “shortly,” providing a timeline of two or three weeks. The conflict surpassed his longer time frame estimate last week.

Democrats in the House and Senate have repeatedly sought to limit the president’s war powers amid the conflict by introducing war powers resolutions. Republicans in each chamber have blocked every attempt .

The latest push came Thursday, when Republicans voted down an Iran war powers resolution introduced by Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).

The measure was defeated by three votes. GOP Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and Rand Paul (Ky.) voted with Democrats for the measure, while Democratic Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.) voted down the resolution.

Collins emphasized after her vote that Trump’s military powers are “not without limits.”

“The Constitution gives Congress an essential role in decisions of war and peace, and the War Powers Act establishes a clear 60-day deadline for Congress to either authorize or end U.S. involvement in foreign hostilities,” she said in a Thursday statement . “That deadline is not a suggestion; it is a requirement.”

The GOP senator added that future military operations in Iran should have a “clear mission, achievable goals, and a defined strategy for bringing the conflict to a close.”

“I voted to end the continuation of these military hostilities at this time until such a case is made,” Collins said in her statement.

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