Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired five ballistic missiles at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on July 29, 2026. It was the latest in a series of Iranian strikes on US forces there that began in February. Jordan's air defenses intercepted all five. Iran separately struck three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz the same day. Trump responded that night: US CENTCOM struck dozens of IRGC targets inside Iran — command centers, missile and drone facilities, and surveillance sites — in what the military called "a powerful response." The US and Saudi Arabia also conducted joint strikes on Iran-backed militias in Iraq, killing at least 20 fighters. Iran's attacks have killed three US service members in Jordan and wounded 29 others since February. Brent crude jumped about 4-5% to around $88 a barrel on the news. It rose further after Trump announced retaliatory strikes.

1. Iran Started It — the Administration and Its Allies

Trump and congressional allies say the IRGC attacked first, the US had no choice but to hit back hard, and restraint would be read as weakness.

Trump told Fox News that Iran would "get a beating." He said the US would be "hitting them hard." House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) called US involvement "absolutely necessary." Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) backed the strikes as a step toward preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) broke with his caucus and backed the strikes. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Europe backed the action. He said Iran had posed a genuine threat. Iran framed the July 29 attack as a response to "illegal and vicious actions by American forces." The administration's camp notes Iran chose to escalate first.

2. Trump Skipped Congress, and That's the Problem — the War Powers Bloc

A bipartisan group of senators says the Constitution requires a congressional vote before the president wages war on another country.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) co-sponsored a war powers resolution that would require explicit congressional authorization before any further US hostilities against Iran. Kaine called for the Senate to "immediately return to session" to block additional strikes. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said Trump's briefing failed to provide "critical details about the scope and immediacy of the threat."

Congress voted last week on ending the Iran war. On July 23, the House passed 214-208 a nonbinding resolution calling on Trump to end the Iran war, sponsored by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA). Four Republicans — Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA), Thomas Massie (KY), Warren Davidson (OH), and Tom Barrett (MI) — crossed the aisle. The Senate fell just short, 49-47, of discharging a binding resolution from committee. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) was the only Republican to vote with Democrats. Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) called the conflict "a war of choice with no strategic endgame." White House officials told congressional members about the strikes after the fact and gave them no role in approving them, members told Time magazine.

3. One More Escalation Could Spiral — the De-escalation Side

Saudi Arabia and the EU are urging the US to stop, warning that hitting Yemen's Houthis or Iraqi militias next could pull more countries into the fight.

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman flew to Washington. He met with Vice President JD Vance and pressed the administration not to attack Yemen's Houthis or additional Iran-aligned militias in Iraq. He warned that such escalation would open "major unknown risks."

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the situation "greatly concerning." She urged the US to hold back. EU Council President Antonio Costa also urged restraint and opposed attacks on civilian infrastructure. Brent crude had crossed $100 a barrel earlier in the broader conflict and jumped again on July 29. A sustained battle over the Strait of Hormuz could disrupt global energy supplies quickly.

Where This Lands

The US has struck Iran directly in retaliation for an attack on American forces. Congress still does not have a vote on whether that war should continue. The administration's camp says Iran attacked first and anything short of a hard response invites more attacks. The war powers bloc — Kaine and Paul on one side, Schumer and Jayapal on the other — says the Constitution does not give the president the power to wage war unilaterally. The 49-47 Senate vote shows how close they came to forcing a check. Saudi Arabia is urging limits on the conflict, worried that drawing in Houthis and Iraqi militias will produce exactly the regional war it has spent years trying to avoid. Congress has not voted, the next exchange could come at any time, and the war powers bloc does not yet have the votes to stop it.

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