President Donald Trump received a briefing Thursday from U.S. Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper and other military leaders on potential strike options against Iran. The briefing came on the eve of a critical legal deadline: the 60-day clock set by the 1973 War Powers Resolution, which requires a president to withdraw U.S. forces unless Congress has authorized the military action. Congress has not done so.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, testifying before the Senate on Thursday, argued that the timer "pauses or stops in a ceasefire." The U.S. and Iran have been under a ceasefire first announced April 7. Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, who raised the deadline question directly to Hegseth, pushed back immediately. "I do not believe the statute would support that," Kaine said.
The dispute over the legal clock reflects a broader deadlock that has settled over the conflict since it began on February 28, when the U.S. and Israel launched the war. Iran responded by de facto halting ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for a significant share of global oil trade. The U.S. countered with a naval blockade of Iranian ports. Neither side has moved significantly since.
The blockage has triggered a global oil supply shock, sending prices sharply higher. Iran has refused to resume negotiations unless the U.S. lifts its blockade. Trump has said he will not lift it until Tehran agrees to terms on its nuclear program.
CENTCOM has prepared what Axios described as a plan for a "short and powerful" wave of strikes intended to break the impasse and force Iran toward a deal. Other options on the table include a special forces operation to secure Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium or steps to expand U.S. control over the Strait of Hormuz, according to Axios.
Trump, speaking at the White House Wednesday, called the blockade strategy "genius" and said Iran's economy "is really in trouble." He claimed Iran's oil infrastructure is set to "explode" within days due to the export cutoff. Experts told CNBC that Iran likely has weeks, possibly months, before the pressure becomes intolerable. That timeline may matter politically. Trump's economic approval ratings have fallen to new lows since the war began, as higher oil prices ripple through the U.S. economy.
The ceasefire has so far produced no peace framework. Both sides have focused on using economic pressure through the strait rather than returning to the table. The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the reported briefing. CENTCOM declined to comment.
The Friday deadline leaves Congress and the White House in direct legal tension. If Hegseth's interpretation is rejected by courts or by Congress, Trump could face formal pressure to wind down U.S. military involvement without a deal in place.
