Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has defended the Trump administration's military conduct toward Iran, insisting it operates within legal bounds even as a critical deadline under federal war powers law passed without congressional authorization. The 60-day window established by the War Powers Resolution expired Friday, February 28 marking two months since U.S. and Israeli operations against Iran began.
In a letter to congressional leaders, President Trump declared that hostilities with Iran "have terminated," effectively claiming the conflict has ended. However, U.S. armed forces remain in the region conducting a naval blockade of Iranian ports. The administration argues that an April ceasefire paused the 60-day clock required by the War Powers Act, which mandates congressional approval for military action exceeding that duration.
In an NBC interview with Kristen Welker, Blanche rejected characterizations of the current situation as war. "No," he said, emphasizing the absence of recent fighting. "As we said to Congress last week, there has been nothing going on, no hostilities, no exchange of fire since almost a month." He argued that a ceasefire constitutes a legitimate method of ending conflict and that the administration's legal position aligns with precedent established by previous administrations over many years.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told Congress that the ceasefire means "the 60-day clock pauses or stops." Trump reinforced this position Friday, stating that previous presidents had similarly bypassed congressional approval under the 1973 law, describing it as "totally unconstitutional."
Congress has taken no enforcement action despite the expired deadline. Democratic attempts to halt the conflict failed in the Senate. Some Republican lawmakers, however, have expressed reservations. Senator Todd Young of Indiana stated that lawmakers "must ensure that the people, through their elected representatives, weigh in on whether to send our military into combat," and called for congressional authorization if hostilities resume.
The situation underscores an ongoing constitutional tension between executive and legislative war powers. While the administration maintains the ceasefire legally terminates the conflict, critics contend that active military operations, including the naval blockade restricting Iranian oil exports, may still constitute hostilities under the statute's definition.
