New York Times: Trump Officially Notifies Congress of Resuming Fighting with Iran

SadaNews - The American newspaper, New York Times, revealed today, Monday, that U.S. President Donald Trump has officially notified Congress of the resumption of fighting with Iran, coinciding with the announcement of the United States imposing a maritime blockade on Iranian ports, while Tehran affirmed its commitment to securing the Strait of Hormuz, in an escalation that threatens to collapse the ceasefire between the two sides. The newspaper stated that it had seen a letter dated last Friday in which Trump informed Congress members of the resumption of fighting with Iran, noting that U.S. forces executed strikes described as "defensive" inside Iranian territory on July 7. According to the report, the notification to Congress represents an official acknowledgment from the U.S. administration of the collapse of the truce that had halted Washington and Tel Aviv's war on Tehran, at a time when Congress is pressing the president to either end military operations or obtain approval to continue them, while Trump insists that the authority to make this decision rests solely with him. This comes after Iran and the United States exchanged a new wave of attacks amid escalating political and military rhetoric, at a time when Trump announced the reinstatement of the American maritime blockade on Iranian ports, which he had lifted last month following a ceasefire. Trump also announced that the United States will take control of the Strait of Hormuz and impose a 20% fee on goods passing through the strait in exchange for providing navigation protection, asserting that Washington "will guard the strait and will charge a fee for that." In this context, the U.S. Central Command announced that it will begin enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports and coastal areas starting tomorrow, Tuesday, under the direction of President Trump, affirming that it will continue to support and secure maritime movement for all ships that do not violate the blockade. Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that Trump is "completely right" in saying that whoever provides a safe and secure passage for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should receive compensation, adding that Iran has "always been the guardian of the Strait of Hormuz and will remain so forever." For its part, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard stated that the United States has been forced, since the beginning of the war, to "reduce its illusory objectives" to merely seeking to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, threatening to impose "more incapacitation and failure" on Washington in the face of what it described as its new hostile moves. This escalation came after Iran announced early on Monday the implementation of a new wave of attacks targeting U.S. military sites and assets in Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman, while U.S. Central Command reported that its forces launched new strikes inside Iran targeting air defense capabilities, missiles, and drones, aiming to limit Tehran's ability to attack commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The newspaper clarified that the recent escalation comes about a week after renewed confrontations between Washington and Tehran amid the struggle for control over the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas exports pass. The escalation has led to a renewed decline in shipping traffic through the strait after Iran attacked a Cypriot-flagged container ship and accused it of violating passage conditions, while data from the shipping tracking company "Kpler" showed that only 14 ships passed through the strait on Sunday, the lowest level in a month. The developments have also impacted global markets, as the price of Brent crude rose to over $82 per barrel, compared to $76 at the end of last week, while global stock indices fell and fuel prices in the United States increased.