The US administration announced that the ceasefire with Iran had ended combat operations, coinciding with the expiration of the legal deadline to submit a report to Congress on the conflict. President Donald Trump had previously indicated that he did not intend to request authorization from Congress to continue any military action upon the expiration of the deadline. In light of the faltering negotiations, Tehran put forward a new proposal through Pakistani mediation to revive them, but Washington expressed its reservations, considering that the Iranian demands are unacceptable in their current form.

Published on: 05/01/2026 - 22:46

The administration of US President Donald Trump said that the ceasefire with Tehran had “ended” hostilities, with the end of a legal deadline Friday to submit a report to Congress on the war with Iran that began on February 28.

Under the War Powers Act of 1973, the president can launch military action for only 60 days, after which he may ask Congress for authorization or a 30-day extension due to “imperative military necessity related to the safety of the American armed forces” during the withdrawal of forces.

Earlier, Trump indicated that he does not intend to request Congress's approval to continue any military action against Iran when the deadline expires before requesting the authorization of lawmakers.

Trump told reporters at the White House, "I don't think what they're asking is constitutional. Those who are calling for this measure are not patriotic."

He added, "No one has asked for this measure before, and no one has ever called for it, so why should we do it?"

Trump considered that implementing the ceasefire, which came into effect on April 8, gave him “more time,” which somewhat suspended the countdown.

Trump is not satisfied with the Iranian proposal

At the diplomatic level, Trump expressed his dissatisfaction on Friday with the new proposal presented by Iran via Islamabad in an attempt to break the stagnation in the discussions between the two parties following a single tour held in April in the Pakistani capital, which did not produce an agreement to put a final end to the war in the Middle East.

“At this moment, I am not satisfied with what they are offering,” Trump told reporters on the White House lawn, repeating that Iranian leaders are “divided” and unable to agree on a strategy to exit the conflict.

Earlier, the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported, “The Islamic Republic of Iran presented its latest proposals for negotiation to Pakistan, as the mediator in the discussions with the United States, on Thursday night,” without additional details.

When Trump said, “They are asking for things that I cannot accept,” he confirmed that discussions were taking place with Tehran, indicating that he still prefers a negotiated solution.

After the ceasefire took effect on April 8, the two parties in the Islamabad negotiations did not reach an agreement to end the war that began with an American-Israeli attack on the Islamic Republic on February 28.

Diplomatic efforts are stalled, in light of the divergent positions of the two parties, and Washington has imposed a naval blockade on the ports of the Islamic Republic, while the latter continues to practically close the Strait of Hormuz to maritime navigation.

In parallel, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi held a series of contacts on Friday with his counterparts in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Iraq and Azerbaijan, and discussed with them “the Islamic Republic’s initiatives to end the war,” according to a ministry statement.

In addition, a European diplomatic source reported that European Union foreign policy chief Kaya Kallas discussed with Araqchi in a phone call efforts to reopen Hormuz "and long-term security arrangements." The European official also communicated with Gulf counterparts, according to the same source.

On Wednesday, Trump urged Iran to be sensible and expedite the conclusion of an agreement to end the war, with American officials announcing that Washington is considering imposing a “months-long” naval blockade on Iran.

This was accompanied by press reports about the US administration’s rejection of an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and lift the US blockade on the ports, with the two countries postponing to a later stage the discussion of other controversial points, led by the nuclear file.

With the stalemate in negotiations, the two parties continued to raise the ceiling of their positions, the latest of which was on Friday the confirmation by the head of the Iranian judiciary, Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei, that Tehran is open to discussion but refuses to have policies “dictated” to it under threat.

Sixty days

The new Iranian proposal comes as the 60-day deadline approaches, after which Trump must theoretically request authorization from Congress to continue the war.

But the Republican administration indicated that it would ignore this, while the Democrats find themselves unable to oblige him to do so.

Under the US Constitution, Congress alone has the power to declare war, but a law issued in 1973 gave the president the authority to launch limited military action in emergency situations, provided that he obtains delegation of legislative powers if the operation continues for more than sixty days.

This deadline expires on Friday, but Defense Minister Pete Hegseth said on Thursday that the count of days had been suspended due to the truce.

A senior US administration official told Agence France-Presse, "The combat operations that began on Saturday, the twenty-eighth of February, have ended, and no exchange of fire has been recorded between the American armed forces and Iran since (the night of) Tuesday, the seventh of April."

The maritime tension in the Gulf and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied gas production usually passes, sparked a significant rise in the prices of fuel and energy resources in the world.

In light of concerns about the conflict turning into a long crisis, the price of a barrel of Brent crude briefly exceeded $126 on Thursday, which is the highest level since 2022.

However, prices fell on Friday after reports of the new Iranian proposal.

The number of commercial ships in the Gulf reached 913 on April 29, two months after the start of the war, according to the marine tracking company AXS Marine.

On Friday, the United States imposed new sanctions on three Iranian exchange companies, and warned ships that would pay Iranian authorities fees to cross the Strait of Hormuz.

"Continuation of military operations"

With no horizon for a solution, the repercussions of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz on the global economy are increasing daily.

The Director-General of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, said Thursday that the world is facing the most serious energy crisis in its history, at a time when United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that closing the strait would lead to “suffocation of the global economy.”

On Thursday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the naval blockade, describing it as a "continuation of military operations."

On the night of the same day, Tehran's air defense systems intercepted drones and other aircraft whose source was not announced. Tasnim and Fars news agencies reported that “the air defense sounds stopped about twenty minutes after small air objects were intercepted.”

The war in the Middle East resulted in the deaths of thousands of people, especially in Iran and Lebanon.

In Lebanon, six people, including a child, were killed in two Israeli raids on the town of Habbush on Friday in the south of the country, according to the Ministry of Health, after an evacuation warning issued by the Israeli army to the residents of the town, amid continued Israeli raids despite the truce.

Despite the fact that a ceasefire has been in effect between Israel and Hezbollah since April 17 and then extended, after direct discussions between the ambassadors of Lebanon and Israel in Washington, the Israeli army continues to carry out attacks, especially on southern Lebanon, resulting in deaths and injuries.

On Thursday, the United States called, through its embassy in Beirut, for a direct meeting between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, considering that “the time for hesitation is over,” and that such a meeting would provide Lebanon with “tangible guarantees.”

Israeli raids on Lebanon since the outbreak of war on March 2 have killed more than 2,600 people, according to the Ministry of Health, including 103 paramedics and health sector workers.

"Thwarting enemies in the field of economic jihad"

Inside Iran, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei called on his people to engage in an “economic confrontation” and “thwart” the enemies of the Islamic Republic, in light of the repercussions of the war with the United States and Israel and years of sanctions.

A written statement by Khamenei included that Iran was able to "prove to the world in the military confrontation with enemies some of its remarkable capabilities, and today it must frustrate and defeat them also in the field of economic and cultural jihad."

The guide called for "supporting productive workers by giving priority to the consumption of local products. Business owners, especially those affected, should avoid laying off workers as much as possible."

Six killed in two Israeli raids on southern Lebanon

In Lebanon, six people were killed, including a child, in two Israeli raids on the town of Habbush on Friday in southern Lebanon, according to the Ministry of Health, after an evacuation warning issued by the Israeli army to the residents of the town, amid continued Israeli raids despite the truce.

Despite the fact that a ceasefire has been in effect between Israel and Hezbollah since April 17 and then extended, after direct discussions between the ambassadors of Lebanon and Israel in Washington, the Israeli army continues to carry out attacks, especially on southern Lebanon, resulting in deaths and injuries.

The Ministry of Health reported, "Two Israeli enemy raids on the town of Haboush, Nabatieh District, led to an initial toll of 6 martyrs, including a child and a woman, and 8 wounded, including a child and a woman."

In turn, the official National News Agency reported that Israeli aircraft launched “a series of violent raids” on the town “less than an hour after the enemy army issued a warning to its people to evacuate it.”

Pictures from the French news agency showed smoke rising above buildings in the town of Habboush following the raids.

The Israeli army had issued a warning to the residents of the town to evacuate it, indicating that "in light of the terrorist Hezbollah's violation of the ceasefire agreement, the IDF is forced to act forcefully against it."

A series of Israeli raids also targeted a number of towns in southern Lebanon on Friday, especially the city of Tyre, according to the National Agency.

This comes the day after at least 17 people were killed in Israeli raids on southern Lebanon, according to the authorities.

In addition to the daily strikes, Israeli forces are carrying out large-scale demolition and bombing operations in border towns, where they announced the establishment of a “yellow line” separating dozens of villages from the rest of Lebanese territory.

The National Agency reported a bombing of “a number of homes and infrastructure” in the town of Shamaa in southern Lebanon, in addition to “the demolition of a monastery and a school for the Redeemer Sisters in the town of Yaroun, after a series of bombing and bombing operations that affected houses, shops, roads, and various landmarks in the town.”

France 24/AFP/Reuters

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