I. Legislative Branch
1) Legislation
House Bill Would Cut Off Funding for Iran War.On July 27, Rep. John Larson (D-CT) introduced H.R.9964, which would prohibit the use of federal funding for military hostilities that have not been explicitly authorized by Congress and that violate the War Powers Resolution. Larson said that the bill would immediately cut off funding for the Trump administration’s war against Iran.
Senate Blocks Another Iran War Powers Resolution. On July 30, the Senate voted 50 to 49 to block an Iran war powers resolution introduced by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) that would halt US military operations against Iran conducted without congressional authorization. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Rand Paul (R-KY) joined most Democrats in supporting the resolution, while Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) voted against it.
Senate Bill Would Repeal 1957 Middle East AUMF. On July 30, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced the bipartisan S.5206, which would repeal the 1957 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) in the Middle East. According to Kaine’s press release, the Cold War-era authorization permits the president to use military force in the region to counter Soviet influence. It has never been invoked and is the oldest AUMF still in effect.
Bipartisan House Bill Would Designate Polisario Front Over Alleged Iran Ties.On July 30, Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Ronny Jackson (R-TX) introduced H.R.9982, which would require the secretary of state to designate Western Sahara’s Polisario Front as a foreign terrorist organization and a specially designated global terrorist if the group is determined to be “cooperating with Iran or Iranian-backed terrorist organizations.”
The bill is companion legislation to S.4063, introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in March.
House Bill Seeks to Hold Turkey Accountable for Political Repression. On July 30, Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) introduced H.R.10008, which would promote democracy and human rights in Turkey and impose accountability on the Turkish government for alleged political and transnational repression, censorship, and violations of international law.
On the same day, Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA) introduced companion legislation (S.5205) in the Senate.
Senate Resolution Condemns Iran’s Human Rights Abuses.On July 30, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced S.Res.819, which would condemn the Iranian government for ongoing human rights abuses, including its alleged use of politically motivated espionage charges to justify arbitrary detention and executions.
2) Personnel and Correspondence
Democratic Lawmakers Press Administration over Iran War Casualties. On July 27, Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA) led 14 other House Democrats who are military veterans in a letter to President Donald Trump urging the administration to provide timely and accurate information on US service members killed and wounded in the Iran war. The lawmakers cited reports that the Department of War removed four service members from the official death toll before later restoring their names without explanation.
On July 29, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY) led 11 other Democratic lawmakers in a separate letter to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth seeking answers about reports that the department failed to provide adequate medical care to US service members injured in a March Iranian drone strike on Port Shuaiba in Kuwait. They also raised concerns about force-protection failures and the classification of injuries and casualties.
House Democrats Urge Netanyahu to Remove Barbed-Wire Fence Blocking Palestinian Children from School in the Occupied West Bank. On July 31, Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Sean Casten (D-IL), and Sara Jacobs (D-CA) led 111 other House Democrats in a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urging him to remove barbed-wire fencing erected by settlers that has blocked children in the occupied West Bank village of Umm al-Kheir from reaching their school. The lawmakers also “vigorously” condemned settler violence and intimidation.
II. Executive Branch
1) White House
Trump Again Threatens Renewed Military Action Against Iran. On July 27, President Trump stated in an interview that the United States would resume “strong military action” against Iran if talks fail.
Trump’s warning came as senior US officials reportedly cautioned him about dwindling US munitions stockpiles and the impact of Iranian reprisals on US bases in the region, including in Kuwait and Jordan. CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper also reportedly advised ending the bombing campaign around the Strait of Hormuz because it had reached the limit of its effectiveness.
Trump and Vance Meet with Netanyahu. On July 28, President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met at the White House. A US official said that the two planned to discuss Iran, the Israel-Lebanon framework, and the expansion of the Abraham Accords.
Ahead of the meeting, Trump signaled tension with Netanyahu, criticizing the Israeli leader’s reported plan to present intelligence on Iranian activity at Pickaxe Mountain, a possible nuclear site that Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike. Trump said that he already knew what was happening at the site, that the activity was “not a big problem,” and that Netanyahu was raising the issue because he wanted the United States to remain involved in the war. The meeting was the eighth between Trump and Netanyahu during Trump’s second term and their first since launching their joint war on Iran on February 28.
That evening, Vice President JD Vance and Netanyahu met to address their differences over Iran policy, according to Axios. A senior Israeli official said that Netanyahu raised Vance’s recent criticism of the Israeli government and Israel’s standing among Republicans.
Trump Announces Deal for Hamas to Disarm. On July 30, President Trump announced an agreement for Hamas’s complete disarmament and Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, calling it a step toward establishing a new Palestinian government. Trump said that the agreement was reached by the Board of Peace, the body he established to oversee the 20-point Gaza plan.
According to a copy of the agreement obtained by Al Jazeera, the process would begin with the entry of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza and the International Stabilization Force into Gaza. The committee would oversee the “inventory and storage” process, with international verification and the participation of Palestinian factions, as Israeli forces gradually withdraw. The weapons would remain under the National Committee’s control rather than being transferred to Israel or another non-Palestinian body. The agreement requires a detailed disarmament roadmap to be prepared within 14 days.
Trump Calls Migrant Crossings into Ceuta an “Invasion.” On July 31, President Trump said during a cabinet meeting at Camp David that the arrival of tens of thousands of migrants from Morocco into Ceuta, Spain’s North African enclave, looked like “an invasion of a country.” He tied the crossings to the November midterm elections, saying that the same thing would happen in the United States on a larger scale if Republicans were not elected.
On August 1, the Department of State raised its travel advisory for Ceuta to Level 3, warning that the uncontrolled arrival of migrants from Morocco could produce unpredictable and dangerous security conditions.
Trump Cancels Planned Strikes on Iran. On August 1, President Trump announced that he had called off planned strikes on Iran, saying that Tehran and other countries in the region had asked him to hold off and that a deal on Iran’s nuclear program and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz was within reach. Iranian officials rejected that account the following day, saying that no such request had been made and that Iran’s forces remained on alert.
Trump’s decision followed a call earlier that day in which Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman urged him not to strike Iran. A person briefed on the call said that Riyadh feared Iran would retaliate against energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states if the United States struck Iranian energy or infrastructure targets.
2) Department of War
CENTCOM and UAE Establish AI Task Force. On July 28, CENTCOM announced an agreement with the United Arab Emirates to establish its first bilateral task force focused on developing military artificial intelligence applications. The group, named Task Force Talon Synapse, is expected to formally launch in the coming weeks and will include about 20 American and Emirati personnel specializing in AI, data, and cybersecurity.
US and Saudi Forces Strike Iran-Aligned Militia Sites in Iraq. On July 28, CENTCOM and the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces conducted joint strikes against logistics and weapons sites in eastern Iraq. CENTCOM said that the sites were used by Iran-aligned militias directed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to attack US forces and Saudi energy infrastructure. According to CENTCOM, the strikes came in response to more than 30 IRGC-directed drone attacks over the previous 72 hours.
CENTCOM also claimed that all Iranian missiles launched that day at a US base in Jordan had been intercepted or did not reach their intended targets. CENTCOM warned that further attacks on US forces or Saudi energy infrastructure would prompt additional military action.
CENTCOM Strikes IRGC Targets Across Iran. On July 29, CENTCOM said that it had conducted a “heavy wave of strikes” against Iran in response to Iran’s attempted attacks on US forces on July 28. CENTCOM said that it struck dozens of IRGC targets across Iran, including military command centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance and defense sites, and maritime capabilities.
AFRICOM Conducts Strikes in Somalia. On July 30, US forces conducted an airstrike against al-Shabab in Somalia.
3) Department of the Treasury
Treasury Sanctions Iran’s Alleged Strait of Hormuz “Extortion Network.” On July 29, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated the Persian Gulf Marine Insurance Company and Hormuz Safe Marine Services Authority over what it described as an IRGC-backed scheme that forces commercial vessels to purchase maritime insurance to transit the Strait of Hormuz.
Treasury Sanctions Networks Supporting Mahan Air and the IRGC. On July 30, OFAC sanctioned six entities and individuals in China, India, Iran, and Russia accused of supporting Mahan Air, the Iranian airline that the Treasury says transports IRGC personnel, weapons, and drones. The designations included general sales agents for the airline and an IRGC-affiliated company accused of soliciting the locations of US and Israeli equipment to support Iranian targeting.
