Hegseth says clock paused on deadline to seek approval for Iran war

Hegseth says clock paused on deadline to seek approval for Iran warJust nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleJames FitzGeraldReutersThe defence secretary was responding to senators' questions on ThursdayUS Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has argued that the clock has paused on a deadline for the Trump administration to seek approval from Congress for the US-Israeli war with Iran.Hegseth was responding to questions from members of the Senate, or upper chamber, on Thursday. Friday is the 60th day since Trump formally notified Congress of the strikes against Iran on 2 March. US law requires a president to "terminate any use of United States Armed Forces" within 60 days of such a notification - unless Congress allows a continuation.A senior administration official said hostilities with Iran had "terminated", emphasising that a ceasefire had been in effect since early April.Despite the ceasefire, the two sides have not yet reached a longer-term deal via talks. Meanwhile, the key Strait of Hormuz waterway is still effectively closed - causing economic impacts around the world.Answering questions from senators on Thursday, Hegseth said: "We are in a ceasefire right now, which our understanding means the 60-day clock pauses or stops in a ceasefire." The questioner, Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, responded: "I do not believe the statute would support that. I think the 60 days runs maybe tomorrow, and it's going to pose a really important legal question for the administration there."The relevant piece of US law, the decades-old War Powers Resolution, makes certain requirements of a president "within sixty calendar days" of their use of US armed forces within a combat. It requires them to end the use of those forces unless Congress makes a formal declaration of war or allows the president an extension, up to 30 days in length, for the "prompt removal" of troops.The legislation was passed in 1973 to limit the...