Tom DuranteApr 30th, 2026, 1:32 pm

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) claimed on Thursday that the United States is not at war with Iran, the day before a potential deadline to involve Congress in foreign military action.

The 1973 War Powers Act sets a 60-day deadline to conduct military strikes without Congressional approval. In regard to the strikes in Iran that began on February 28, the deadline would be Friday.

When approached by NBC News on Capitol Hill on Thursday, Johnson said the Iran conflict does not apply to the deadline because “we are not at war.”

“I don’t think we have an active, kinetic military bombing, firing, or anything like that. Right now, we are trying to broker a peace,” Johnson told NBC News. “I would be very reluctant to get in front of the administration in the midst of these very sensitive negotiations, so we’ll have to see how that plays out.”

When asked about the deadline, Johnson told the network, “We are not at war.”

He added: “We’re policing the Strait of Hormuz and trying to get a peace. The president and the administration are moving as aggressively as possible. There’s nothing Congress can do to move that along any further, so we’ll see how it plays out. That is my position.”

Under the War Powers Act, President Donald Trump can request a 30-day extension. It remains unclear whether he has or will. Trump himself has repeatedly called the conflict a “war.”

As he testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. is currently not subject to the 60-day deadline while a ceasefire is in effect in the region

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