world
Hegseth Testifies Ceasefire Stops Iran War Powers Clock
As the U.S.-Iran war approaches the 60-day War Powers Resolution deadline, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth argued that a ceasefire has stopped the clock, drawing criticism from Democratic lawmakers. Meanwhile, the Pentagon advances AI integration for military operations amid the conflict, and U.S. oil producers increase output in response to high prices driven by the war.
AB
SK
DE
upi.comAudio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Senate Armed Services Committee on April 30 that a ceasefire has stopped the 60-day clock under the War Powers Resolution of 1973. Hegseth appeared alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine in his first congressional testimony since the conflict with Iran began.
Foreign Policy and Defense News reported that Hegseth described the ceasefire as halting the timeline that would otherwise require the president to withdraw forces or obtain congressional approval to continue.
The Hill reported that Sen. Jack Reed, the ranking Democrat on the committee, said on Sunday there are no “timeouts” in the War Powers Act. Reed stated that the 60-day period begins from the start of hostilities and runs continuously, adding that the statute’s language does not provide for pauses. ABC News reported that Hegseth faced questions from lawmakers during the hearing.
The ceasefire took effect after U.S. military action in the conflict. No publicly released evidence in the sources documents the precise start date of hostilities or the exact date the ceasefire began. The vessels’ operators have not been publicly identified by the U.S. government in the provided sources.
Amid the conflict the Pentagon has accelerated artificial intelligence integration. The department signed deals with seven companies—SpaceX, OpenAI, Google, NVIDIA, Reflection, Microsoft, and Amazon Web Services—to enhance data synthesis and decision-making.
Gregory Allen, former director of strategy and policy for the Defense Department’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, described AI’s role in analyzing reconnaissance data. ABC News reported that nearly 10,000 AI-powered drones have been deployed to the Middle East since the war started.
These drones use computer vision for guidance as a lower-cost alternative to missiles such as Tomahawks.
