President Donald Trump has officially notified Congress that military hostilities against Iran resumed on July 7, a move his administration views as initiating a fresh 60-day window for military engagement without formal legislative approval. In a letter dated July 10, Trump justified the decision by citing his duty to safeguard American citizens and national security interests. He alleged that Iran breached a June 17 memorandum of understanding by targeting commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, which led him to order retaliatory strikes and reinstate a blockade on Iranian shipping to keep the vital waterway operational.

This development has reignited a fierce constitutional debate regarding the extent of presidential war powers. While the War Powers Act mandates that a president must notify Congress within 48 hours of starting military action and requires legislative approval for engagements lasting longer than 60 days, Trump’s administration has previously argued that intermittent ceasefires reset this clock. Lawmakers from both parties have strongly pushed back against this interpretation, with both chambers of Congress recently passing resolutions calling for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the conflict. Despite the administration's claims of necessity, the move highlights deepening tensions between the White House and Capitol Hill over the legal limits of executive military authority.