Trump notifies Congress that military action against Iran restarted last week

Trump formally notified Congress that military action against Iran "commenced on July 7," a notice dated July 10 and addressed to Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley as the White House reopened a fight lawmakers thought had been paused by the ceasefire.

The letter calls the latest strikes "limited, measured, planned, and executed" to minimize civilian casualties, and says the target is Iranian military sites that threaten U.S. forces and commercial shipping. Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, the president is supposed to notify Congress within 48 hours of starting hostilities.

That accounting also marked a reversal from what the White House had told Congress earlier in the year. The White House previously told Congress hostilities had "terminated" after an early-April ceasefire, while Trump told lawmakers on May 1 that the conflict that began on February 28 had ended because there had been no exchange of fire since April 7. The 60-day War Powers deadline arrived on May 1.

The renewed escalation followed Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and a U.S. response that included fresh strikes on July 8 to keep the waterway open to shipping. Iran then launched missiles and drones at U.S.-allied Gulf states, including Kuwait and Bahrain, both of which host U.S. military bases. Iranian authorities say ships must seek permission and use an Iranian-approved route before transiting the strait, making the shipping lane the center of the dispute. A memorandum of understanding signed on June 17 is now jeopardized by the renewed fighting.

Congress was already moving to reclaim some control. Both the House and Senate passed a resolution last month seeking to limit further military action against Iran without congressional authorization, and a bipartisan bloc has pushed for a war powers vote. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he had not been properly briefed, while war powers critics in both parties argued that Congress should vote if the hostilities continue. Trump, meanwhile, declared the ceasefire "OVER" on Friday and said diplomacy would continue.