The White House in a letter to Congress asserted that hostilities with Iran have “terminated” despite the continued presence of US armed forces in the region.The message from President Donald Trump effectively skirts a May 1 legal deadline to gain approval from members of Congress to continue the war with Iran. That deadline was already set to pass without action from Republican lawmakers who are deferring to the president.The letter brings into stark relief the bold but legally questionable assertion of presidential power at the heart of Trump’s war, which he began without congressional approval two months ago. “The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026, have terminated,” he wrote House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the Senate president pro tempore. He also made it clear in the letter that the war may be far from over.“Despite the success of United States operations against the Iranian regime and continued efforts to secure a lasting peace, the threat posed by Iran to the United States and our armed forces remains significant,” the Republican president said.Meanwhile, Iran has submitted a fresh proposal to the US to end the two-month war as the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s key sea route in the Persian Gulf, remains blocked for petroleum trade, but US President Donald Trump said he is “not satisfied”. “They want to make a deal, I’m not satisfied with it, so we’ll see what happens. At this moment, I’m not satisfied with what they’re offering,” Trump told mediapersons on Friday at the White House.The new proposal came amid Trump’s claims that Iran was dying to make a deal to end the war as its economy was in a dire condition.