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    US President Donald Trump signs an executive order related to Utah protected lands in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, July 13, 2026. (photo credit: Kylie Cooper/Reuters) US President  Donald Trump  has sent Congress formal notification that  hostilities against Iran resumed on July 7 , a letter his administration sees as opening a new 60-day window to use the military in the region without congressional approval. "I directed this military action consistent with my responsibility to protect Americans and United States' national security and foreign policy interests," Trump said in the letter, dated July 10, and seen by Reuters on Monday. In the letter, the US president described the Memorandum of Understanding as having been violated by Iran following its attacks on commercial vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz.

A US Air Force F-16 fighter jet refuels during a patrol over the Middle East, pictured in an image shared by US Central Command on July 12, 2026. (photo credit: screenshot/X/@CENTCOM) US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that American forces have initiated strikes against  Iran  in the early morning hours of Monday. In a statement on X/Twitter,  CENTCOM  stated that the strikes are intended to degrade Iran’s “ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the  Strait of Hormuz .” A CENTCOM spokesperson told CNN that US aircraft had so far successfully shot down an Iranian cruise missile and a one-way attack drone. The spokesperson added that within the past hour,  Iran fired at a commercial ship  in the Strait of Hormuz. Several explosions were heard in Iranian cities, including Sirik and Bandar Abbas, shortly after midnight on Monday, according to Iranian state media reports.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it had completed a wave of offensive strikes against Iran on Monday morning in an effort to “degrade Iran’s ability to continue attacking international shipping flowing through the Strait of Hormuz.” In a statement on X/Twitter, CENTCOM stated that US fighter aircraft, naval vessels, aerial drones, and sea drones were used to strike dozens of targets across Iran.  https://t.co/V84pTWxDwH — U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM)  July 13, 2026 The strikes targeted Iranian air-defense systems, coastal radar sites, small boats, and missile and drone capabilities. 

Iran claims to have hit US military bases in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain in overnight strikes it described as a multi-phase “retaliatory operation,” according to Iranian state media reports. According to the reports, Tehran claimed that it struck Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan, allegedly causing a fire and damaging US military equipment. Iranian state media also claimed that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) struck and damaged US equipment at two bases in Kuwait, in addition to reportedly hitting a US military site in Bahrain.

A ship in the Strait of Hormuz, June 2026 (photo credit: REUTERS) The number of vessels transiting the  Strait of Hormuz  fell to multi-week lows on Sunday, according to shipping data, as renewed strikes between the US and Iran and attacks on ships in the Middle East heightened safety concerns. Six vessels transited the strait on Sunday, ship-tracking data from Kpler showed, the lowest number in five weeks. Tankers that exited the strait included the  Very Large Crude Carrier Humanity , laden with 2 million barrels of Iranian oil, and another tanker,  Capetan Andreas , carrying about 500,000 barrels of Kuwaiti oil products, the data showed, while three empty tankers entered the Gulf to load oil. Most of the tankers switched off their transponders when crossing the strait

United States President, Mr. Donald Trump, has warned that the US would “completely decimate” Iran if the Islamic Republic attempts or succeeds in assassinating him, dramatically escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran despite ongoing diplomatic efforts. In a post on his Truth Social platform yesterday, Trump declared that the US military had already been placed on alert to launch a massive retaliatory strike against Iran should any assassination attempt be made against him. “1,000 missiles are locked and loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran, with thousands of more to follow immediately, should the Iranian Government act on its threat to assassinate, or attempt to assassinate, the sitting President of the United States of America, in this case, ME!” Trump wrote. He added: “Orders have already been given, and the U.S. military is ready, willing, and able, for one year, subject to extension, to completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran.” Trump’s remarks came...