War Clock Restarts — Trump Bombards Iran

President Trump has formally restarted military action against Iran and reactivated the 60-day war powers clock, as U.S. forces hit hundreds of Iranian targets tied to attacks on commercial ships.

Story Snapshot

Trump notified Congress that U.S. military action against Iran formally recommenced on July 7, restarting the War Powers Resolution’s 60-day countdown.
U.S. Central Command has struck more than 300 Iranian military targets in and around the Strait of Hormuz to protect commercial vessels.
The Trump administration argues the campaign has heavily degraded Iran’s missile, drone, and naval capabilities, justifying a continued blockade.
Iran is still firing drones and missiles at U.S.-aligned Gulf states, showing it retains some ability to threaten the region.

Trump Restarts Iran Conflict And War Powers Clock

President Donald Trump has told Congress that U.S. “military action” against Iran restarted last week, ending a months-long ceasefire and triggering a fresh 60-day countdown under the War Powers Resolution. In a letter dated July 10, he wrote that operations “commenced on July 7” after Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier this spring, Trump had argued that an April ceasefire had “terminated” hostilities and paused the legal clock, avoiding the need for a war authorization.

The 1973 War Powers Resolution says a president can use force for 60 days after notifying Congress, unless lawmakers vote to authorize continued action. Trump first notified Congress about the initial Iran campaign on March 2, starting a clock that was set to hit a key deadline on May 1. By declaring that fighting stopped on April 7 and then “terminated,” Trump claimed the 60 days no longer applied. Now that strikes have resumed, the administration’s own lawyers say a new 60-day period has begun.

New Wave Of U.S. Strikes And A Tight Naval Blockade

Since reigniting the conflict, the U.S. Central Command reports hitting more than 300 Iranian targets over several nights of strikes. These attacks have focused on missile and drone storage sites, coastal radar, fast attack boats, and other assets used to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. military aircraft and helicopters have also sunk mine-laying ships and other naval vessels to keep Iran from closing the waterway with mines and swarm attacks.

Trump has ordered a tight naval blockade around the strait and key Iranian ports, with the stated goal of keeping global shipping lanes open and stopping Iran from menacing tankers. American forces are escorting allied ships and warning that unauthorized vessels trying to use an Iranian-approved route could face action. The White House stresses that recent strikes are “limited, measured, planned, and executed in a manner designed to minimize civilian casualties,” focused only on sites that threaten U.S. forces and commercial shipping.

How Much Has Iran’s Military Been Degraded?

Weeks of joint U.S.–Israeli operations, including earlier campaigns like Operation Epic Fury, have severely damaged Iran’s conventional military. U.S. officials and outside analysts say Iran has lost most of its surface navy, many missile launch sites, large portions of its air defense systems, and much of its drone and missile industrial base. The White House has highlighted numbers showing ballistic missile attacks down about 90 percent and drone attacks down about 95 percent since the war began, describing Iran’s systems as “heavily degraded.”

At the same time, intelligence assessments concede that Iran still has meaningful asymmetric tools. Roughly half of its missile launchers remain operational, and it keeps thousands of one-way attack drones that can be fired from hidden or mobile sites. Iran has also continued to hit targets in Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and other Gulf states that host U.S. forces, even if many of those missiles and drones are intercepted. This pattern matches past crises, where Washington talks about “degrading” Iran while Tehran keeps enough capability to cause trouble around the Gulf.

Iran’s Response And Stalled Negotiations

Iran has answered the renewed U.S. strikes by launching drones and missiles at U.S.-aligned Gulf countries and claiming to close the Strait of Hormuz to many Western ships. Its leaders insist foreign vessels must seek permission and follow an Iranian-approved route, a demand the Trump administration rejects as illegal and dangerous. American officials say recent hits on Gulf states have mostly had limited impact, with some missiles failing and air defenses intercepting others, though there have been injuries and at least one reported death.

TRUMP: “The Strait of Hormuz is open and will remain open. We’ve significantly degraded Iran’s capabilities. Iran will not get a nuclear weapon. Without the B-2 strikes, they would’ve had one long ago,” the US President said. pic.twitter.com/sBeyptSG3I

— Subodh Kumar (@kumarsubodh_) July 14, 2026

Talks over ending the war have been stuck for weeks, even as Oman and other mediators try to broker a deal. Earlier, Trump used a ceasefire and a pause in escort operations in May to push Iran back to the table, while keeping a blockade in place. Analysts describe strong incentives on both sides: Washington wants to show strength and protect the global economy, while Iran tries to prove it can still strike back and raise the cost of the blockade. With combat officially restarted and the 60-day legal clock now ticking again, both political and military pressure are rising in Washington as Congress weighs how far to back Trump’s campaign.