The American President has informed Congress he is done with the leaky cease-fire and will resuming attacks against Iran…..
Here we go AGAIN…..
The battle for control; of the Strait of Hormuz has already begun….
There IS sure to be internal friction IN Iran and the US political, governmental and public area’s….
The United States military said it had resumed striking Iran on Monday, hours after President Trump said he would restart the naval blockade of Iran, take control of the Strait of Hormuz and charge heavy fees for ships to transit the waterway.
The U.S. moves, along with Iranian threats and claims of fresh strikes on American targets, signaled a return to open conflict less than a month after the two sides reached a truce.
U.S. forces “began launching the third consecutive night of strikes against Iran” at Mr. Trump’s direction, the military’s Central Command said in a social media post on Monday afternoon, which was after midnight on Tuesday in Iran.
Central Command said the blockade of Iranian ports, which had been in effect from April to June, would restart late Tuesday in Iran. Hours earlier, when Mr. Trump announced its resumption, he said the United States would charge a fee on each ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz equal to 20 percent of the value of its cargo, in return for providing security.
His administration had previously insisted that there could be no fees or tolls for the use of the international waterway. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, posted a retort on social media, saying that Mr. Trump was “absolutely right” that whoever provided safe commercial vessels safe passage through the strait should be compensated — and then repeated Iran’s claim to that role “forever.” He added a sardonic coda: “20% is of course too much. We will be fair.”
It was not clear how intensive the latest strikes on Iran were, but shortly before they began, Mr. Trump told the conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt: “We’re going to hit them very hard tonight and going to hit them hard tomorrow. And there’s not a damn thing they can do about it.”
He has also formally notified Congress that fighting with Iran has resumed, a recognition that the cease-fire has broken down, and one that stokes a struggle over vital war powers. Congress has directed the president to either end the war or seek approval to continue it, but Mr. Trump insists he has the sole authority to make that call. The notification letter, dated Friday, was obtained by The New York Times on Monday.
Hours earlier, Ali Bagheri Kani, the deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, was among the Iranian officials calling for revenge against the United States over the killing of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, describing it as “the right of the Iranian nation,” according to Iran’s state broadcaster.
Iran’s military said early Monday that it had launched another barrage of strikes aimed at American military assets in Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman.
The developments cap a nearly weeklong flare-up of hostilities as the United States and Iran wrestle over control of the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passed before the war.
Soon after Mr. Trump said the blockade would be reinstated, the price of Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, climbed to $83 a barrel, up from $76 on Friday.
Here’s what else to know:
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Strait of Hormuz: Mr. Trump’s threat to impose fees on shipping in the strait contradicts declarations by his top aides. During a visit to the Middle East in late June, Marco Rubio, the secretary of state and national security adviser, said: “No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway. That’s existing international law.” And Vice President JD Vance took the same position last month. “We believe international waterways should be free of tolls,” he said. Read more ›
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U.S. sea drones: American forces used unmanned boats in an attack on an Iranian naval installation, the first-ever U.S. offensive operation by sea drones, Central Command said on Monday, in the latest sign of how drones are reshaping modern warfare. Read more ›
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Market volatility: Oil prices rose and global stock markets fell after the Iranian and U.S. attacks over the weekend. In the United States, the average price of gasoline was $3.87, according to the AAA motor club, up 7 cents compared to a week ago.
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ISW…Iran Update Special Report, July 13, 2026
- The US-Iran ceasefire has effectively ended with relatively more intense and consistent exchanges of fire in the Persian Gulf. The present fighting is relatively less widespread in geographic scope and smaller in terms of total strikes compared to March and April 2026, but the increase in strikes and reimposition of the blockade nonetheless mark the end of the ceasefire.
- The US naval blockade had a limited but notable effect on Iranian willingness to continue fighting in Spring 2026 and was critical to securing the memorandum of understanding (MoU). Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, reportedly fearful of the US blockade and the deteriorating economic situation in Iran, implored Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei to accept the June 18 MoU despite the supreme leader’s concerns and desire to retain control over the Strait of Hormuz. Pezeshkian’s efforts to secure the MoU do not imply that other elements of the Iranian regime were seriously affected by the blockade, however.
- The recent MoU breakdown and the reimposition of the US naval blockade can cause negative political effects within Iran that are not immediately related to a breakdown in the regime’s willingness to continue the fight. The regime’s decision to continue firing into the Strait of Hormuz ultimately reignited the war, and the regime will need to argue the case to its own people and among itself as to why continuing the conflict is necessary. This situation will likely revive the intra-regime debate over how to handle the strait, economy, and negotiations with the United States.
- The United States and Iran are in a new phase in the war, and both sides have had time to internalize lessons and reconstitute after the initial round of conflict….
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More on Trump asking about ‘Protection Money’ for THE US from Gulf Countries …
(Isn’t Trump AGAINST Iranian Strait ‘Protection Money’?)
President Trump name-dropped several Persian Gulf countries Monday that he said should be reimbursing the United States for protection of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
“Yeah, I want to be reimbursed because we’re protecting a very rich portion of the world, we’re spending money, and so what we’ve done is we are going to be reimbursed for protection,” Trump said in the Oval Office.
He named U.S. allies Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain, and said there are others.
“They will do very well,” he said. “But we think it’s appropriate.”
He went on to say the U.S. doesn’t “need” those countries because “we have more oil than any other country in the world.”….
Note…
One should NOT be surprised if SOME ship’s DO make it thru the strait, one way, or another….
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