Trump formally notifies US Congress of renewed war with Iran as Washington hits targets in Tehran

US President Donald Trump has formally notified Congress that the country is once again at war with Iran, granting his administration another 60-day window to use military forces in the region without obtaining congressional approval first.

In a letter to the US Congress dated 10 July, Trump informed the lawmakers that the strikes, which began on 7 July, represent “military action consistent with my responsibility to protect Americans and the United States’ interests both at home and abroad,” CBS News reported.

Donald Trump's letter to lawmakers

In last week's letter to the US Congress, the US President wrote that Washington had engaged in "productive, good-faith efforts to achieve a diplomatic solution to Iran's malign behavior," which led the two nations to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) last month. He added that Tehran's attacks on three oil tankers carried out last week violated a provision of the interim deal that required the Islamic Republic to arrange for safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz, thereby resulting in US strikes.

The letter further says, “United States Armed Forces remain postured to take further action, as necessary and appropriate, to address further threats and attacks upon the United States or its allies and partners and to ensure the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran ceases being a threat to the United States and to our allies and partners.”

US-Iran trade strikes

The letter was sent after Trump announced last week that the ceasefire was "over" and announced several rounds of strikes on Iranian targets in response to Tehran's attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. While the MoU said that Tehran would make arrangements to ensure the safe passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days, Iranian authorities have recently insisted that ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz must seek permission from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and use an "authorized route" before transiting the arterial waterway.

According to Politico, Washington's on-again, off-again war with Tehran has proved extremely difficult for Trump to resolve as the two nations vie for control over the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial choke point for the world's energy supplies. While the US president has fumed over the inability to strike a peace deal with Tehran, Republicans are worried about being blamed for higher gas prices ahead of the midterm elections in November.

Trump administration's earlier notice to Congress

Earlier in May, the Trump administration formally notified Congress that the war, which was launched in late February, had "terminated," thereby avoiding the 60-day deadline under which Washington's military operations must halt without congressional approval. The announcement came after Trump announced a ceasefire with Tehran in early April, which was extended indefinitely, with the White House arguing that the move stopped the war powers clock.

The War Powers Resolution of 1973 establishes the timeframe within which the president must notify Congress after introducing US forces into hostilities and sets a deadline for withdrawing those forces if lawmakers do not grant authorisation. In the absence of explicit congressional approval, the law states that once the deadline expires, the president “shall terminate any use of the United States Armed Forces.”

Last month, the US Senate voted to end hostilities with Tehran, in what was considered a largely symbolic rebuke of the conflict. In a 50-48 vote, the Senate passed the war powers resolution after the House of Representatives approved the measure earlier in June. The vote reflected growing concern among lawmakers, including some of Trump's Republican allies, about the unpopular conflict that began on 28 February, when the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran.