Trump Notifies Congress of Resumption of Iran War... 300 Iranian Military Sites Bombed in a Week

[Financial News] U.S. President Donald Trump has formally notified Congress that military action against Iran has resumed. By doing so, he claims to have secured a new 60-day window to wage war under presidential authority without congressional approval, deepening legal disputes in U.S. politics and raising tensions across the Middle East once again.
According to POLITICO on the 13th (local time), Trump formally informed Senate President pro tempore Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, in a letter sent on the 10th that "new military action against Iran began on the 7th."
In the letter, Trump said he had ordered military action "to protect Americans, national security, and the national interest." He added that the move was taken "under the constitutional authority of the executive branch as president and commander in chief." He also said the U.S. military had already struck more than 300 military targets in Iran over the past week.
The move is widely seen as a political tactic aimed at exploiting loopholes in the U.S. War Powers Resolution.
Under the U.S. Constitution, the power to declare war belongs to Congress. However, under the War Powers Resolution, the president may conduct limited military operations for up to 60 days without prior congressional approval, as long as Congress is notified within 48 hours of the use of force. To continue a war beyond 60 days, congressional consent is required.
Previously, the United States and Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran on Feb. 28. As the 60-day deadline approached, they sent Congress a letter on May 1 saying that "the attack on Iran has ended." They effectively paused the legal clock by citing a short-term ceasefire and a memorandum of understanding signed in April.
However, the Trump administration resumed military action two months later, saying Iran had violated the MOU by attacking merchant ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The White House argues that because the fighting had fully ended and "new hostilities" had begun, it has secured another independent 60-day grace period.

Congress immediately pushed back. Democrats, as well as some Republican lawmakers, strongly criticized the administration, saying it was arbitrarily interpreting the law to effectively strip Congress of its war powers and pursue an indefinite war.
In fact, the Senate and the House of Representatives passed a bipartisan resolution last month, despite Republicans holding the majority, calling on Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from military clashes with Iran. Trump sharply criticized lawmakers who took part in the vote, accusing them of siding with Iran.
Along with the formal declaration that war has resumed, Trump also announced on the same day that he would restore a maritime blockade on Iranian vessels in the Persian Gulf region. He also unveiled a hardline measure to impose a "toll" in exchange for guaranteeing safe passage for merchant ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint in the global energy supply chain.
Trump remained defiant, saying, "The U.S. military remains prepared to take additional necessary and appropriate measures to address further threats and ensure that the Iranian government is no longer a threat."
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