Trump notifies Congress the Iran war has resumed
Trump to enforce "Iranian Blockade" in Strait
Starting at 4PM ET, President Trump says the U.S.’s naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz will be reinstated as the U.S. continues to fight Iran over control of the crucial waterway amid an exchange of fire between the two nations over the weekend. "We are reinstating the THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE, so named because it is only stopping Iran’s ships or customers from entering or leaving," Trump wrote on Truth Social. The President also enforcing a 20% toll.
President Donald Trump sent a letter to Congress, officially notifying them that hostilities against Iran have begun again.
The letter, obtained by Reuters and dated July 10, formally notifies Congress of the renewed hostilities and starts a new 60-day period during which the administration can continue military action without additional congressional authorization under the War Powers Act.
What we know:
In the letter, President Trump outlined the sequence of events that led to his decision to resume military action on July 7. He cited the administration's efforts to pursue a diplomatic resolution during an initial two-week ceasefire in April, followed by the 60-day memorandum of understanding signed on June 17. Trump said Iran repeatedly violated that agreement by attacking commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald J. Trump hosts a Rose Garden Club luncheon in the White House Rose Garden
Renewed strikes in Iran
The backstory:
The U.S. launched another round of strikes in Iran on Tuesday, the third night in a row, just hours after President Trump announced he was reinstating a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.
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This recent tension between the two nations began again after shipping vessels were attacked by Iran, who in turn announced their own closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
US to reinstate blockade against Iran
President Trump directed military forces to reinstate the blockade of maritime traffic at the Strait of Hormuz, telling FOX News on Monday, "we’re taking over the Strait."
What they're saying:
In this Truth Social post, President Trump said that "Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN," also suggesting that the U.S. should be paid for protecting assets and cargo shipped through the waterway.
President Trump via Truth Social
U.S. Central Command later announced they would be resuming the blockade of Iranian-flagged ships beginning Tuesday at 4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
During the previous blockade from April 13 to June 18, military forces turned around over 140 vessels and were forced to disabled another nine ships who were not in compliance with the blockade.
What is the War Powers Act?
Dig deeper:
The War Powers Act is a law passed in the early 1970s created to split authority over military action between Congress and the president.
According to the Associated Press, the War Powers Resolution specifies how the president should collaborate with legislators to deploy troops if Congress hasn’t already issued a declaration of war.
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The act states that Congress and the president should use its "collective judgement" to send troops into "hostilities." The War Powers Act requests that the president "in every possible instance" should "consult with Congress before introducing United States Armed Forces."
Citing the law, the AP noted that unless a Declaration of War has already been passed or Congress has authorized deploying forces, the president has 48 hours after deploying troops to send a written report to congressional leadership explaining the decision.
The Source: This story was written with information provided by Reuters, The Associated Press and U.S. Central Command. This story was reported from Orlando.