The US announced the "end of hostile actions" towards Iran, shifting strategic focus towards deepening economic blockades and diplomatic confrontations.

Senior officials of the US government announced on April 30 local time that the "hostilities from the 'Epic Fury' military operation against Iran launched on February 28 this year have ended." The core consideration behind the US move is to avoid crossing legal boundaries. The Trump administration officially notified Congress of the use of military force on March 2, and according to US law, if further authorization from Congress is not obtained, military action must be concluded within 60 days, by May 1. It is reported that the US Senate rejected the sixth attempt by Democrats to limit President Trump's power to wage war against Iran, with Republicans continuing to support the government. This conflict is coming to a critical 60-day deadline. On Thursday, a procedural vote to promote a resolution on war powers introduced by Democratic Senator Adam Schiff of California failed with 47 votes in favor and 50 against. The resolution was originally intended to direct the President to withdraw troops from hostile actions against Iran. Republican Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky and Susan Collins of Maine voted in support of the resolution. Collins had previously opposed a resolution on war powers against Iran, while the only Democratic Senator to vote against it was John Fetterman of Pennsylvania. According to the War Powers Resolution of 1973, if war is not authorized by Congress, the President must withdraw armed forces from hostile actions within 60 days. The 60-day limit begins from the date the President formally notifies Congress. President Trump notified Congress of hostile actions with Iran on March 2, which means the 60-day deadline will end on May 1 (Friday). The President may extend it by 30 days to complete troop withdrawal. House and Senate Democrats plan to continue pushing for votes related to the Iran war, and have prepared a series of resolutions in recent weeks. Progressive caucus members in Congress have been introducing resolutions daily since last week. While the US-Iran conflict has essentially paused due to weeks-long ceasefires, Democrats continue to vote to limit the President's war powers. Most Republicans are unwilling to participate, but some have indicated they may change their position after 60 days. A few Republican Senators are reportedly drafting legislation authorizing the use of force against Iran, bypassing the war powers debate completely. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Thursday at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that, since active combat has stopped, the government believes the 60-day window has paused. He said, "We are in a ceasefire right now, and as we understand it, that means the 60-day countdown during a ceasefire would be paused or stopped." Democrat Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia expressed skepticism about this interpretation, saying, "I don't think the statute will support that interpretation, and that would create significant legal problems for the government." House Speaker Mike Johnson said Congress does not need to take action because the US is "not at war." He added, "I don't think we have active military bombings, shelling, or similar actions currently, and we are working for peace. I am very reluctant to interfere with government actions during such sensitive negotiations and can only watch and wait." With the US officially announcing the end of "hostilities" against Iran, the geopolitical game in the Middle East is shifting from intense military conflict to a long-term legal and economic tug-of-war. While this statement nominally reduces the immediate legal risks faced by Iran for large-scale airstrikes, it places the region in a fragile period of stability. However, this de-escalation has not brought substantive prospects for peace. Signals of military threats from senior Israeli defense officials indicate that military threats are still high in the region, and the complexity of the external security environment has not fundamentally changed due to Washington's legal actions. Currently, market attention has shifted from direct destruction by war to the long-term "naval blockade" and its profound impact on the global supply chain. Despite the end of hostilities, the Trump administration is accelerating the construction of a long-term sanction system aimed at curbing Iran's energy exports. Currently, the actual passage security of the Strait of Hormuz is still uncertain, as Iran's oil revenues have dried up, leading to continued suspension of its domestic stock market and spreading economic uncertainty from Tehran to the global energy trading markets. Looking ahead at the diplomatic level, the ongoing US-Iran contacts in Islamabad, Pakistan are seen as a key window to test the bottom lines of both sides. Although negotiations have begun, there are structural contradictions in the core interests of "lifting sanctions" and "monitoring the nuclear program" between the two sides. Iran is cautious about diplomatic breakthroughs, emphasizing that negotiations without a basis of trust will find it difficult to achieve substantive results in the short term. For global investors, the evolution of the Middle East situation has entered a new stage of "undercurrents," and it is necessary to continue monitoring the movements of the maritime security alliance formed by the US and its allies starting in May.