It's War: Trump Formally Notifies Congress US-Iran Conflict Has Reignited, 60-Day Countdown Starts Now

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By Bob Hoge

As the United States military pounds the Islamic Republic of Iran for the third straight night, it’s been revealed that President Trump sent a letter to Congress on Friday notifying lawmakers that the United States is once again officially at war with the mullahs. That’s not the same as him asking Congress for a formal declaration of war; it’s an effort to comply with the controversial 1973 War Powers Act.

The letter, reviewed Monday by multiple news outlets, gives his administration another 60-day clock to battle the Iranians without congressional approval.

Expect Democrats in Congress to howl, because they maintain that the war really started on February 28 with the opening salvo of Operation Epic Fury, and Trump can’t just unilaterally restart the clock.

The new set of strikes, which began July 8 but ramped up heavily on Saturday following Iran’s repeated attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, requires the response, the president wrote. The war is a “military action consistent with my responsibility to protect Americans and United States’ interests both at home and abroad.”

As RedState’s Streiff reported earlier Monday, Trump upped the pressure on Iran by declaring that the Strait is under U.S. control, that container ships are passing through, and that the blockade of Iranian ports is back in business. Maybe our new name will be the “Guardian Angel of the Strait,” he quipped. He also threatened to seek reimbursement from wealthy countries to pay us back for the security we’ve provided in the crucial waterway now and in previous years.

…we’re going to be reimbursed because the other nations are very wealthy, they’re on our side…

You know, we guarded the Strait for 50 years, more, and we never got paid for it…

And now we’re guarding it and we’re going to get paid for guarding it; a lot of money. But we just want to be reimbursed for doing all of this, for putting our people in danger.

Trump declared a truce in April after the two countries agreed to negotiate in good faith on a Memorandum of Understanding, which was eventually hashed out. The president declared the MOU null and void on July 8, however, after the IRGC kept attacking commercial ships. 

As our Rusty Weiss reported at the time, Trump lashed out at the regime. "To me, I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them anymore, but they’re scum," he said. You know what scum is? They’re scum, they’re sick people, they’re led by sick people, and they’re vicious, violent people."

In the two-page letter, the president noted that there are no boots on the ground:

“United States ground forces are not involved in these strikes. These strikes are limited, measured, planned and executed in a manner designed to minimize civilian casualties,” the president wrote in the letter, which was obtained by The Hill.

After the president notifies Congress, the U.S. military can be in the region for 60 days and the commander-in-chief can extend their stay for another 30 days, under the War Powers Act. But deployment that exceeds that timeframe requires congressional approval.

In June, the House passed a War Powers Resolution limiting Trump’s ability to wage war against the despotic regime, but the Senate has repeatedly shot down such efforts, and a bill has never reached the president’s desk. It would be very interesting if it did because it could very likely set off a power struggle. Many scholars — and the president himself — believe the 1973 War Powers Act is unconstitutional because it infringes on the president's Article II powers as Commander in Chief. President Nixon initially vetoed it for that reason, but Congress overrode him, and it’s now the law.

Stay tuned.

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