President Donald Trump has formally informed the United States Congress that American forces resumed hostilities against Iran on 7 July, a step his administration views as initiating a new 60-day period for military operations without prior legislative approval. In a letter dated 10 July and seen by multiple news organisations, Mr Trump stated that the US military had conducted “defensive strikes against targets inside Iran” in response to what Washington describes as Iranian attacks on neutral-flagged commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The notification, made under the War Powers Act, comes after both chambers of Congress had already passed resolutions directing the president to withdraw forces from the conflict, setting the stage for a renewed institutional confrontation over the scope of executive war powers.

Viewed from Washington, the administration’s legal reasoning rests on the claim that a previous 60-day clock, which began with the initial US and Israeli strikes on 28 February, expired on 1 May but was effectively reset when Mr Trump declared hostilities terminated under a ceasefire. That ceasefire, ordered on 7 April and later extended, was followed by a memorandum of understanding with Iran on 17 June. The White House now argues that Iran violated that understanding by attacking commercial shipping, justifying the resumption of strikes and the reimposition of a naval blockade on Iranian ports. Mr Trump further announced on 13 July that the US would take control of the Strait of Hormuz and levy a 20 per cent fee on transiting cargo, a move that analysts in London note would contravene long-standing international norms on freedom of navigation.

Lawmakers from both parties have challenged the administration’s interpretation of the War Powers Act. A senior Democratic aide in the House of Representatives, speaking anonymously, said the president “can’t just wish away months of war he said would last only four to six weeks.” The Senate and the House each voted last month to instruct the president to end hostilities or seek explicit congressional authorisation, with the Senate resolution passing by a narrow 50–48 margin. Despite these votes, the White House maintains that Mr Trump is acting within his constitutional authority as commander-in-chief, and the administration has not sought a new authorisation for the use of military force. The notification letter itself describes the strikes as “limited, measured, planned, and executed in a manner designed to minimize civilian casualties,” and states that no US ground forces are involved.

Tehran has rejected Washington’s claims, with the Iranian armed forces’ central headquarters declaring that it will “under no circumstances allow the United States to interfere in the management of the Strait of Hormuz.” Iran’s foreign ministry accused the US of violating nearly all points of the June memorandum within 25 days of its signing. The renewed exchanges of fire have included Iranian strikes on the US airbase at Al Udeid in Qatar and on vessels in the strait, according to statements from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The US Central Command confirmed a third consecutive night of strikes on 14 July. With diplomatic channels apparently broken after a round of talks on 12 July collapsed over Iranian demands for amendments, and with the US Treasury reinstating sanctions on Iranian oil sales, the conflict shows no sign of abating. The next formal step in the domestic power struggle is unclear, but the 60-day window now forces Congress to decide whether to authorise the operations, cut off funding, or allow the clock to run out amid an intensifying military campaign.