U.S. Struck Iran Over Hormuz Ship Attack. Congress Not Notified.

Update, June 28, 2026: The weekend produced the first direct military exchanges since the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding took effect on June 17. The Singapore-flagged Ever Lovely was struck by a drone on Friday; the Panama-flagged Kiku was hit the following day. U.S. Central Command then struck Iranian coastal radar sites and missile storage locations, and Iran launched ballistic missiles and drones at Kuwait’s Ali Al Salem Air Base and the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.

Both governments accused the other of violating Article 5 of the MOU, which obligates Iran to guarantee safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz and complete demining within 30 days. Iran’s IRGC had already forced four tankers transiting the southern Omani route to turn back on Thursday, declaring that only the northern corridor through Iranian territorial waters was authorized. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Saturday that any unilateral intervention in the strait would “exacerbate the situation and also delay the reopening.”

Vice President JD Vance appeared on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher on June 26, hours before the strikes began, and said the U.S. wins “either way” regardless of whether a final nuclear deal is reached. President Trump posted on Truth Social on Sunday warning that Iran “will no longer exist” if the U.S. is “forced to militarily complete the job.” There was no public indication that congressional leaders were notified of the new strikes before they were carried out.

Update, June 30, 2026: U.S. and Iranian officials are preparing to hold indirect talks in Qatar on July 1 and 2, according to Foreign Policy. The parties plan to address security concerns in the Strait of Hormuz rather than Iran’s nuclear program, which was the original focus of this week’s negotiations.

The talks follow four days of renewed hostilities that strained the preliminary peace agreement signed earlier this month. An Iranian drone struck a Singapore-flagged container ship off the coast of Oman on Thursday, prompting U.S. retaliatory strikes on Iranian missile and drone storage sites and coastal radar facilities. Iran then attacked a second vessel in the strait before both sides agreed Sunday to halt attacks, U.S. officials told Axios.

Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz collapsed during the fighting, and an International Maritime Organization plan to evacuate roughly 600 stranded ships remained paused as of Monday. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that Tehran holds sole authority over the strait and warned that outside transit arrangements would delay reopening and raise tensions. Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi confirmed separately that Oman and Iran are in talks about charging service-related fees for ships using the waterway.

Update, July 7, 2026: The U.S. military launched a second round of strikes against Iran on July 7 after Iranian forces attacked three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, which the Trump administration characterized as a “clear violation of the cease-fire.” The administration also revoked a sanctions waiver that had permitted the sale of Iranian oil.

Two vessels have been confirmed struck: a Qatari LNG tanker that caught fire and remained at risk of explosion as of Tuesday evening, and a Saudi ultra-large crude carrier. Iran did not claim responsibility for either attack, though it acknowledged issuing warnings to the Qatari vessel before the strike.

Ian Ralby, president of Auxilium Worldwide, told PBS NewsHour that weekend transit traffic through the strait had reached roughly 78 vessels over two days, still less than a third of the pre-conflict baseline. Ralby said shipping companies were reassessing the Red Sea as an alternative route despite sustained piracy and Houthi activity in that corridor.

Update, July 9, 2026: President Trump declared the June 17 memorandum of understanding “over” on Wednesday after at least three suspected Iranian attacks on commercial ships sailing outside routes designated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. military struck dozens of targets along Iran’s southern shores. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks against U.S. bases across the region.

The MoU assigned Iran responsibility for de-mining and safe navigation in the strait but did not settle whether ships could transit without coordinating with Tehran, a gap that analysts say each side has exploited. Ryan Costello, policy director at the National Iranian American Council, told Al Jazeera that Iran interprets the agreement as granting it authority over vessel routing, while the U.S. has supported a parallel transit corridor. On Thursday, CENTCOM denied Iranian control of the waterway and cited the passage of more than 800 commercial vessels through Hormuz since early May.

The U.S. also revoked sanctions waivers on Iranian oil that had been granted under the ceasefire terms. Mojtaba Khamenei, who became supreme leader after his father was killed and assumed the position in March, stated publicly that Iran must retain the ability to close the strait. With U.S. midterm elections set for November and the Strategic Petroleum Reserve running low, both governments face domestic constraints against returning to full-scale war, according to Costello.

Update, July 12, 2026: U.S. Central Command launched a second round of strikes against Iran on Sunday evening starting at 5:00 p.m. ET, following earlier strikes that hit 140 Iranian military targets including missile and drone sites. Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed “until further notice,” a claim Centcom rejected, stating U.S. forces were in position to keep the waterway open.

The latest escalation began after the IRGC fired a naval cruise missile at the Cyprus-flagged MV GFS Galaxy, damaging the ship’s engine room and leaving one crew member missing. Iran’s IRGC then struck U.S. and allied positions across the region, including Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan, claiming it destroyed the base’s command and control center and MQ-9 drone hangars.

The interim ceasefire signed last month has collapsed. President Trump declared it over earlier this week, while Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the U.S. of violating the agreement. Iran’s parliamentary speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated on X that the “era of one-sided deals is OVER,” as BBC News reported on July 11.

Update, July 14, 2026: Senate Democrats blocked the $1 trillion annual defense authorization bill on July 14 in protest over the Iran war, according to the Associated Press. Hours later, the U.S. launched additional strikes on Iran ahead of restoring a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a senior official told the AP.

Iran’s attacks on commercial tankers in the Strait of Hormuz killed and injured crewmembers, the United Arab Emirates confirmed. Trump also indicated he has a standing order to strike Iran if the government attempts to assassinate him, with Vice President Vance designated to make that call.

Update, July 16, 2026: The U.S. expanded strikes on Iran on Thursday, hitting targets in and around Tehran and Semnan province — home to Iran’s ballistic missile production — as well as Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz, according to AP reporting published by PBS News. The interim ceasefire agreed to last month has collapsed, and the U.S. reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports on July 16. Iranian state media reported more than 35 people killed and over 300 wounded since U.S. strikes began.

Iran retaliated Thursday with missile and drone attacks on Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait, all three of which host U.S. military forces. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, declared the strait an “invincible red line” and warned of strikes on regional infrastructure if the U.S. follows through on threats to hit Iranian bridges and power plants. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps separately threatened to open a second front at the Bab al-Mandeb Strait by activating Houthi allies in Yemen, according to Al Jazeera.

Iran released U.S.-Iranian citizen Dena Karari, detained since 2024 on espionage charges, in what President Trump described as a goodwill gesture. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said on July 16 that efforts to bring both parties to the negotiating table are becoming increasingly difficult. Brent crude traded above $85 a barrel Thursday, more than 15% above its pre-war price.

Update, July 20, 2026: The U.S. military launched its 10th consecutive wave of strikes against Iranian targets on July 20, as the Pentagon identified two soldiers killed at Muwaffaq Salti air base in Jordan: First Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Private Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas. A third service member died in northern Iraq, and unidentified remains were recovered in Jordan over the weekend. The total number of U.S. service members killed since hostilities began on February 28 stands at at least 17.

Both the House and Senate have passed war powers resolutions that would require the president to seek congressional authorization after 60 days of continuous hostilities. The White House has argued the clock was paused by an April ceasefire, a position Democrats cite as a mechanism to extend the campaign without a congressional vote. Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, who introduced one resolution, and Rep. Ted Lieu of California have each called on Republicans to support a binding measure.

Sen. Mark Warner, vice chair of the Senate intelligence committee, said there are “hundreds of seriously wounded” U.S. personnel and stated, as a Gang of Eight member, that “there was no imminent threat from Iran.” The New York Times reported the Pentagon did not disclose three Iranian strikes against U.S. targets in Jordan before Friday’s deadly attack, nor “dozens” of resulting casualties. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared Iran is now fighting a “full-scale war” with the United States, while Tehran confirmed diplomatic messages are still being exchanged through intermediaries.