Trump declared Iran ceasefire over and ordered a third round of strikes defying the bicameral war-powers resolution

On July 7-8, 2026, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked three merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz — the latest flashpoint in a dispute over a clause in the June 17 memorandum of understanding that ended the prior round of fighting. Iran claims sole authority to determine safe-passage arrangements through the strait; the U.S. maintains the agreement requires "unfettered passage to all vessels," and Iran has used its own interpretation to justify strikes on vessels it says ignored its warnings. The Treasury Department separately revoked a waiver that had allowed Iran to sell oil and petrochemicals under the negotiated terms. Late Tuesday into Wednesday, U.S. forces struck more than 80 Iranian positions; Iran's Revolutionary Guard retaliated with missile strikes on U.S. military installations in Bahrain and Kuwait, acknowledging the strikes as a response to the American attacks.

Speaking Wednesday at a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Trump declared the ceasefire "over," saying "it's just a waste of time dealing with them" and calling Iran's leadership "sick." U.S. Central Command said forces "have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz." Trump indicated he did not want a full-scale war and suggested negotiations could continue.

This is the third distinct round of U.S. strikes on Iran since Congress passed the first-ever bicameral War Powers Resolution in June 2026 — the House 215-208 on June 3, the Senate 50-48 on June 24 — directing the president to remove U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran absent a declaration of war or specific congressional authorization. Prior rounds of strikes on June 10-11 and June 27-28 were each conducted after the resolution passed, with the administration maintaining the resolution has "no significance" and that no war-powers obligation applies because it regards the conflict as already effectively concluded by the earlier ceasefire — a position each subsequent round of strikes has contradicted.