Trump tells Congress military action against Iran resumed on July 7

President Donald Trump formally notified Congress that military action against Iran restarted on July 7, according to a letter dated July 10 and addressed to Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Iowa Republican who serves as the Senate's president pro tempore. CBS News obtained the letter and reported its contents on Monday. Roll Call reported the same notification the same day.

The letter is the administration's first war powers report to lawmakers since April, when it told Congress that hostilities with Iran had "terminated" following a ceasefire. That earlier notification was the basis for the administration's position that the 60-day clock in the War Powers Resolution no longer ran against it.

What the letter says

The notification describes the July 7 strikes as "limited, measured, planned, and executed in a manner designed to minimize civilian casualties," and says the targets were Iranian military sites that threaten U.S. forces and commercial shipping.

It does not describe the operation as finished.

"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."

For legal authority, Trump cited his responsibility to protect Americans and U.S. interests and his constitutional authority as commander in chief. He did not cite an authorization for the use of military force from Congress, because there is none for this war.

The clock, and the fight over whether it exists

The War Powers Resolution of 1973 requires the president to report to Congress within 48 hours of introducing armed forces into hostilities. It then limits those hostilities to 60 days unless Congress votes to authorize them, with an additional 30 days available for withdrawal. Counting from the July 7 date in the letter, the 60-day window closes in the first week of September.

Whether that deadline binds the president is contested. The Trump administration has argued the 60-day provision is unconstitutional. That argument has never been tested in court. Members of both parties have said Trump should come to Congress if the fighting runs past 60 days.

Where Congress is

Both chambers passed a concurrent resolution by Rep. Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat, calling on Trump to end the war. Concurrent resolutions are not presented to the president and carry no legal force, and this one did not change the administration's conduct.

A day after that vote, the Senate rejected, on a procedural vote, a joint resolution that would have been binding. The vote followed a meeting between Trump and Senate Republicans at the Capitol. Two Republicans who had supported the earlier measure switched, and said publicly that they were giving the administration room to negotiate with Tehran under the memorandum of understanding the two governments signed last month, according to Roll Call.

Senate Democrats have said they intend to force war powers votes every week the chamber is in session until the war ends. They have not said what they will do this week.

The events behind the strikes

The war began in late February. A ceasefire took hold in early April, and last month the two governments signed a memorandum of understanding that was meant to hold it in place while talks continued on Iran's nuclear program and U.S. sanctions.

Trump's letter says Iran's attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz early last week violated the provision of that memorandum requiring Iran to arrange safe transit through the strait. U.S. strikes followed on July 7. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on U.S.-allied Gulf states.

On Monday, Trump announced on Truth Social that he was reimposing a naval blockade of Iran and that the United States would charge a fee of 20 percent on all cargo shipped through the Strait of Hormuz. Under international law, a blockade is an act of war.