A senior administration official said the hostilities that began on Feb. 28 had “terminated” for purposes of the War Powers Resolution of 1973, arguing that the U.S. military and Iran have not exchanged fire since a two-week ceasefire took effect on April 7.

The position builds on remarks by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who told lawmakers during Senate testimony earlier Thursday that the administration believes the ceasefire pauses or stops the 60-day clock mandated under the law.

“We are in a ceasefire right now, which our understanding means, the 60-day clock pauses or stops,” Hegseth said before the Senate Armed Services Committee.Under the War Powers Resolution, Congress must authorize military action within 60 days of a president notifying lawmakers of hostilities or the administration must end the campaign, with a possible 30-day extension allowed for withdrawal.

That deadline falls on Friday for Trump’s Iran operation.The White House has not sought formal approval from Congress, even as U.S. naval operations continue in the Gulf and Iran maintains pressure over the Strait of Hormuz while Washington enforces a blockade aimed at preventing Iranian oil exports.

Democrats and some Republicans have argued that the administration is legally required to obtain congressional approval and that the ceasefire does not suspend the statute.

Senator Susan Collins of Maine, one of the few Republicans to back a Senate effort to halt military action without authorization, said the deadline was binding and not optional.

“That deadline is not a suggestion; it is a requirement,” Collins said, adding that any further military action must have “a clear mission, achievable goals, and a defined strategy for bringing the conflict to a close.”

The Senate on Thursday rejected, for a sixth time, a Democratic-led measure seeking to end U.S. military action in Iran absent congressional approval, allowing Republicans to avoid a direct confrontation with Trump as the legal deadline approached.

Some GOP lawmakers who had supported limited strikes against Tehran have increasingly signaled they want Congress to reassert its constitutional authority if the operation becomes prolonged.The administration’s interpretation has drawn criticism from legal experts who argue the War Powers Resolution contains no mechanism allowing the 60-day period to be paused because of a temporary ceasefire.

Katherine Yon Ebright, counsel with the Brennan Center for Justice’s Liberty and National Security Program, said the administration’s argument marked a significant expansion of prior executive branch interpretations of the law.

“To be very, very clear and unambiguous, nothing in the text or design of the War Powers Resolution suggests that the 60-day clock can be paused or terminated,” she said.Previous administrations have often argued that limited or intermittent military actions did not rise to the level of “hostilities” under the law.

But legal analysts say the sustained U.S. military campaign against Iran, including naval deployments and direct strikes, would be difficult to classify under that narrower interpretation.

Richard Goldberg, a former National Security Council official during Trump’s first term, said he had advised administration officials to transition the current operation into a separate mission focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and defending maritime navigation.

He suggested a follow-up mission could be framed as a self-defense operation rather than a continuation of the existing war authorization timeline.“That to me solves it all,” said Goldberg, now a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

The dispute highlights the long-running constitutional struggle between Congress and the presidency over control of U.S. military engagements, a conflict that has persisted since lawmakers passed the War Powers Resolution during the Vietnam War era to curb unilateral presidential war-making.

Navid Afkari, a 27-year old political prisoner who took part in protests back in August 2018, was executed early Saturday morning, despite a global campaign calling on Iran to revoke his death sentence. Navid sent many messages from prison saying he was tortured into confessing to crimes he did not commit. However, Iran executes political prisoner Navid Afkari  despite an international outcry.

Navid’s lawyer, Hassan Younesi said that his parents were not allowed a last visit with their son.

“You were in such a hurry to execute him that you deprived Navid of his last visit?” he tweeted addressing the regime.

Finally the authorities handed over the Navid’s corp to his family but upon the condition of not having any ceremony for him.

On Sep. 12, Navid’s family was harassed by intelligence ministry agents when the body was handed over. Navid was buried Saturday night and only his mother, father, sister, and two brothers were allowed to attend.

Authorities had imposed severe restrictions on the family for Navid’s burial, including a strict ban on any ceremonies. No family was allowed to have a mobile phone at the burial. The grave was prepared beforehand and the burial was carried out swiftly to prevent any gathering at the scene. Dozens of security and intelligence agents were present during the burial to prevent any possible gathering that may spark anti-regime protests.

Iranians in exile protesting today’s execution of Navid Afkari by the despotic regime ruling Iran and the direct order of the supreme leader Khamenei. They said All negotiations with appeasement vis-a-vis the mullahs must come to an immediate end. It is high time for the world to end its appeasement and stand alongside the Iranian people.

They announce in their statement that The UN’s silence over crimes against humanity such as the 1988 Massacre has allowed Iran’s authorities to act with impunity. “Today they hanged wrestling champion Navid Afkari for taking part in Iran Protests. How many more protesters will be executed before the world speaks out?” They added one of the demonstrators said: “Navid Akari will never be forgotten. They killed his body, but his soul and spirit live in each and every human being across this globe that yearns and strives for freedom. They can’t kill us all. History has proven that all dictators fall eventually “.

Many distinguished international personalities condemn Navid execution.  Richard Goldberg  US National Security Advisor tweeted: In the wake of Navid Afkari’s murder, Council on Foreign Relations and any other US institutions planning virtual events with  Iran’s foreign minister  @Jzarif should cancel them immediately. (CFR event currently scheduled for 9/21)

Background.

Last week, Navid and his two brothers, Habib and Vahid were transferred to a high-security prison section in Shiraz’s Adel Abad Prison and were cut off from the world. The Afkari brothers were taken to the “Guidance” Section, notorious for its horrid conditions, lack of minimum facilities, and reports of suicides, rapes, and murders.

Navid Afkari was sentenced to two executions, prison, and lashes while two of his brothers were sentenced to overall 81 years of prison and lashes for their participation in nationwide protests in August 2018.

Navid’s letters and voice messages from prison, stressing that he was tortured to make false confessions, led to a global campaign for the termination of his death sentence. In a short message Navid sent a message:” I only protested. They pulled a plastic bag over my head, beat my hands, stomach, and feet. I nearly suffocated. They tied me, poured alcohol in my nose. I volunteered to donate my organs after my death. I’m a wrestling champion.

Hassan Mahmoudi is a Europe-based social analyst, researcher, independent observer, and commentator of Middle Eastern and Iranian Politics. He tweets under @hassan_mahmou1.