Opinion

Round one of Iran fight went to the US military. But ending things is much harder

Project Freedom launched with guided-missile destroyers and over 100 aircraft as Iran harassed U.S. naval assets

By Lt. Col. Robert Maginnis, (ret.) Fox News

Published May 8, 2026 5:00am EDT

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Gen Arnold Punaro on US response to Iran's threats in Strait of Hormuz

Retired U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Arnold Punaro discusses Iran's attempts to control the Strait of Hormuz and U.S. military options. He emphasizes focusing on nuclear and economic pressure to bring Iran to the diplomatic table.

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On May 1, President Donald Trump sent letters to congressional leaders declaring that hostilities with Iran "have terminated." The statement was legally timed. The ceasefire imposed on April 7 has held — no exchange of fire between U.S. and Iranian forces since that date. Trump’s letter cited that record to sidestep the War Powers Resolution’s 60-day clock, which would have required congressional authorization or withdrawal of forces by May 1 — Day 62 of the conflict.

The legal argument is thin. The constitutional argument is weaker. But the deeper problem is strategic: declaring the war "terminated" and ending it are not the same thing.

As of this writing, the U.S. Navy is blockading Iranian ports. Project Freedom — Trump’s initiative to guide hundreds of stranded commercial vessels out of the Strait of Hormuz — launched Monday, May 4, with guided-missile destroyers, more than one hundred land- and sea-based aircraft, and 15,000 service members.

Iran’s military launched drones and small boats at U.S. ships on the first day of the mission. The IRGC declared that any vessel transiting the strait must coordinate with Tehran first. A nation at peace does not deploy 15,000 troops to force merchant ships through a contested waterway.

TRUMP AIMS TO RESET WAR POWERS CLOCK WITH CONTROVERSIAL BID TO BYPASS CONGRESS

Cargo ships in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026. (Reuters)

This is not the end of a war. It is the beginning of a more dangerous phase.

A legal end — not a strategic one

Trump told reporters May 1 he would not seek congressional authorization because "nobody’s ever asked for it before." History doesn’t support that. The letter itself is the tell — it concedes "the threat posed by Iran to the United States and our armed forces remains significant." The administration declared victory and........

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