A letter dated July 10 went to Capitol Hill over the weekend, and its message was blunt: the United States is at war with Iran again. Politico obtained the document. In it, President Donald Trump described the airstrikes that began on July 7 as “military actions consistent with my responsibility to protect Americans and US interests both at home and abroad.”
The filing matters because of the clock attached to it. Under the War Powers Act, a notification starts a new 60-day window in which the administration can use force in the region without first getting Congress to approve.
A ceasefire that did not hold
Trump announced that the two-month-old ceasefire with Tehran had officially ended, and the letter followed. That truce was declared in April and was shaky from the first week, with both sides continuing to trade attacks. Even so, the White House had maintained that full-scale war had not resumed.
The fighting itself began in February, according to the report, and has stopped and started several times over control of the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for global energy supplies. Trump had earlier told Congress the war “ended” in May, which reset the statutory clock then. The White House argued that the April ceasefire, meant to last indefinitely, had paused the War Powers timeline. Anti-war lawmakers disagreed. They said the law was being misapplied, since the Navy kept its blockade of Iran in place after major combat died down.
On Monday Trump went further, saying the United States would bring back the blockade, take control of the Strait of Hormuz and charge fees to vessels passing through. US Central Command said American forces had hit more than 300 Iranian military targets in the past week, answering what it called Tehran’s hostile actions in the strait. A Monday statement confirmed more airstrikes “at the direction of the Commander-in-Chief” and said they would “continue to impose heavy costs on Iranian forces.”
Congress has few tools
The new notice complicates efforts by lawmakers to rein in the campaign. Last month the Senate passed a resolution calling for the hostilities to end, 50 to 48, with four Republicans joining Democrats. It would have required congressional approval for continued operations. The House had passed a similar measure 215 to 208, again with four Republican votes.
Neither carries much force. Joint resolutions are not sent to the president for signature, and any bill limiting his war powers would meet a certain veto.
Trump has voiced frustration that no peace deal with Iran has been reached. Congressional Republicans, for their part, worry about being blamed for higher fuel prices before the midterm elections.
In the letter, Trump wrote that US forces “remain postured to take additional steps, as necessary and appropriate” against further threats or attacks on the United States or its allies and partners, and to make sure Iran’s government “ceases to pose a threat to the United States and its partners.”
