It will soon be 60 days since a surprise US-Israeli attack on Iran triggered a full-blown war between the countries, the ripples of which were felt across the Middle East. While a fragile ceasefire remains in place, the threats between the US and Iran continue and the future of negotiations in mediator state Pakistan remains unclear.
A big question now looms. Will US President Donald Trump adhere to the legal 60-day limit on unauthorised wars or will the conflict continue? There’s also confusion on the timeline of the war and differences among US lawmakers on the day the war completes 60 days.
What is the US law and what does it say?
Under the War Powers Act of 1973 in the US, any war started without Congressional authorisation, as is the case with the Iran war, has a 60-day limit for military action, surpassing which an additional 30-day window for an orderly withdrawal can be obtained.
The US President is required to inform the Congress of the scope and expanse of the war within 48 hours of sending in troops, a CNN report said.
The report also said that this additional timeline can be granted if the US President argues that time is needed for the safety of forces withdrawing from the war.
Under the law, Congress alone holds the authority to initiate a formal war and manage its resources, including military spending and deployment of forces, a Bloomberg report said. However, the Congress approval is not needed in circumstances where the country has been attacked or faces an imminent threat of hostilities.
However, a Reuters report from days after the war began had said that Trump administration officials said in closed-door briefings with congressional staff tyat there was no intelligence suggesting Iran planned to attack US forces first.
Does ceasefire delay the limit?
The CNN report said that there’s confusion over when the 60-day limit would end as lawyers in both the Democratic and Republican parties views the federal statute differently.
While some say the deadline would be 60 days since the strikes began, which would make it April 29, others think it would be 60 days from when the Congress was informed of the war, which would be May 1.
The fragile but persisting ceasefire is also thrown into the mix, with several Democrat and Republican lawmakers believing that the truce delays the limit. “You can’t punish ceasefires. We want them to sit down and talk to each other,” GOP Representative Brian Fitzpatrick told CNN.
While the law holds, it was never been regarded as a binding legal constraint by any US president. Trump and many other presidents before him have spoken against the legislation.
Where do the US-Iran talks stand?
Negotiations between Iran and the US remain in limbo. After the first round of talks in Pakistan failed, the second round is only getting delayed, despite Donald Trump’s extension of ceasefire earlier this week.
An Iranian delegation led by foreign minister Abbas Araghchi met Pakistani officials in Islamabad on Saturday but left the country without the arrival of the US delegation. Later, Donald Trump, who was to send his son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff to Pakistan over the weekend, told Fox News that the trip stands cancelled.
