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Donald Trump
US launches latest round of strikes on Iran; Trump defends war
Erin MansfieldZachary SchermeleFrancesca ChambersRachel BarberUSA TODAY
Updated July 23, 2026, 7:50 p.m. ET
President Donald Trump defended his administration’s ongoing war with Iran after four U.S. troops were killed over the weekend and hours after the House and Senate split on whether to tell the president to end the conflict
“We want to get it over with, and we want to do it right, but we have to… do what we came to do,” Trump said Thursday afternoon.
Earlier Thursday, the House of Representatives voted to end the war 214-208, with four Republicans joining Democrats to rebuke the White House. The Senate then struck down a similar measure, with key Republicans backing the president
The resolutions were largely symbolic and would not have forced an end to the war, but did force lawmakers to record their stance less than four months before most of them face re-election. More than two-thirds of Americans said they disapprove of Trump’s handling of the Iran war in a Washington Post/Ipsos poll earlier this month
The vote comes two days after Defense Secretary Pete Hegsethasked Congress for $67 billion in additional funding for the war, prompting Democrats to question whether the administration has a plan to end the war. Iran and the United States continue to fight over control of the Strait of Hormuz as Tehran has periodically attacked ships in order to deter traffic and choke the world’s oil supply, prompting increased volatility in already high gasoline prices
7:45 pm ET July 23, 2026
US military launches new round of strikes against Iran
The U.S. military is launching another round of strikes against Iran, U.S. Central Command, also known as CENTCOM, said July 23. The strikes began at around 6:45 p.m. ET
“This is the 13th consecutive night of strikes aimed to hold Iran accountable and diminish threats from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to commercial shipping,” CENTCOM said in a post on X
Earlier on July 23, President Donald Trump had promised “major military punishment” for Iran after Iran-backed Houthi militants said they attacked two oil tankers from Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea.
“If they do this again, the U.S. will hold Iran responsible, in that the Houthis are a Surrogate and/or Proxy of Iran, and major military punishment will be inflicted upon Iran and, of course, the Houthis, themselves,” Trump wrote on Truth Social
3:13 pm ET July 23, 2026
Trump on Iran war: ‘We have to do what we came to do’
Francesca Chambers
Trump defended his administration’s ongoing military campaign hours after the House voted to end the war with Iran, while the Senate sided with the president
“We want to get it over with, and we want to do it right, but we have to… do what we came to do,” Trump said at an event at the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC. “We can’t let them have what they want, which is nuclear weapons.”
Trump’s remarks came a day after he attended the dignified transfer of four U.S. service members who were killed in overseas fighting related to the conflict. “I had a very sad day yesterday,” Trump said Thursday, July 23
A total of 18 Americans have been killed since the war began on Feb. 28
Comparing the death toll to previous wars in which thousands of lives were lost, Trump added: “One is too many, but it’s 18.”
2:47 pm ET July 23, 2026
Saudi Arabia gets nuclear deal. Iran gets bombed. What’s in the pact?
Kim Hjelmgaard
The Trump administration signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia to develop a nuclear program, even as the White House escalates a war with Iran that is aimed, in part, at destroying its nuclear capabilities
The U.S. Department of Energy described the agreement as one that would allow Saudi Arabia to develop its civilian energy nuclear program and give U.S. companies “great access” to related commercial deals
Congress has not yet approved the arrangement, and few details about it have been made public. But former officials and members of the nuclear community said it is a major shift in U.S. policy and risks accelerating a nuclear arms race in an already volatile region
The deal is designed to give U.S. companies a key role in developing Saudi Arabia’s nuclear infrastructure. This stands in stark contrast to the war being waged by the Trump administration to halt Iran’s nuclear program
Like Saudi Arabia, Iran insists – despite significant international skepticism – that it is only interested in nuclear energy, not nuclear weapons. But Saudi Arabia and Iran are historic rivals who compete for regional dominance
1:34 pm ET July 23, 2026
GOP defectors have differing motives
Phillip M. Bailey
The four Republicans who sided with House Democrats on ending the war with Iran have varying political motivations and relationships with President Trump
Both Fitzpatrick and Barrett are running for reelection in swing districts in Pennsylvania and Michigan respectively, which the GOP need to hold if they hope to keep their razor-thin House majority
Democrats have focused much of their messaging around rising gas prices in both of their districts ahead of the 2026 midterms, particularly in Fitzpatrick’s area which covers Philadelphia suburbs in the southeastern corner of the Keystone State
The average cost to fill up has climbed to about $4.23 a gallon in the state which is $1 higher than a year ago
Massie is among a group of so-called “free agents” in Washington who’ve lost their primaries after clashing with the president, but remain in Congress
Davidson, however, is a bit of an outlier. He’s representing an Ohio seat that rated as “safe” by experts but he has criticized the war without facing Trump’s wrath
“For some, this debate will be about whether we should even be fighting in Iran,” Davidson said on the House floor in March. “For me, the debate is more fundamental: Is the president of the United States, regardless of the person holding the office, empowered to do whatever he wants? That’s not what our Constitution says.”
1:00 pm ET July 23, 2026
Tillis a ‘no’ on ending war — for now
Zachary Schermele
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina, told USA TODAY that although he voted “no” on Thursday’s war powers resolution, he will flip his vote and support ending hostilities after Sept. 10
His rationale: That is 60 days from what he says is the first time the Trump administration referred to the conflict as a war
The War Powers Act gives the president a 60-day window to receive authorization to officially declare a war from Congress — which technically has that specific power under the Constitution
12:39 pm ET July 23, 2026
Senate rejects war powers resolution
Erin Mansfield
The Senate voted down a measure that would have directed the president to end the war in Iran, just hours after the House passed a similar measure led by Democrats
The measure failed 49-47
The measure is largely symbolic but required senators facing re-election Nov. 7 to take a public stance on the war
12:32 pm ET July 23, 2026
Senate votes on Iran war
Erin Mansfield and Zachary Schermele
A vote is underway in the Senate over whether to direct President Donald Trump to remove U.S. service members from Iran
The measure appears likely to fail because prominent Republican critics of Trump, including Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, voted against it
11:25 am ET July 23, 2026
House Democrats celebrate war powers vote
Zachary Schermele
On the steps of the Capitol, Democrats took a victory lap after the House again rebuked the war
“We’re thrilled with this vote tally,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Washington
Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colorado, said accountability was “coming back to life” in Congress
“What you just saw was the United States Congress doing its job, to take an up or down vote on matters of war and peace,” he said
11:16 am ET July 23, 2026
House already passed defense spending
Erin Mansfield
The House of Representatives on July 22 passed a $1.15 trillion military spending bill by a margin of 216-212, with Republicans largely in support and Democrats largely opposed
Seven Republican lawmakers, however, bucked the White House and voted against the package. Six Democrats voted in favor
Every year, the House and Senate each pass their own versions of the annual military spending bill and then negotiate a compromise before sending it to the president for his signature
Contributing: Reuters
10:31 am ET July 23, 2026
House votes to end Iran war
Zachary Schermele
The House voted again Thursday to end military hostilities in Iran, with four Republicans bucking the White House
The measure passed 214-208
The GOP lawmakers were Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Warren Davidson of Ohio and Tom Barrett of Michigan
10:24 am ET July 23, 2026
Rubio says Houthis were ‘suckered’ into attacks
Erin Mansfield
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that Iran pulled the Houthis into bombing ships in the Red Sea overnight, and hoped they would change their behavior and stay out of the conflict with Iran
“They got suckered into this by the Iranians,” Rubio said during a trip to Southeast Asia. “The Houthis largely were smart and stayed out of this throughout the conflict, but now the apparently have gotten themselves suckered into this going after Saudi Arabia and their ships.”
Rubio pointed to reports overnight of Saudi ships carrying 4 million barrels of oil for China that were attempting to exit the Red Sea
“Are they going to blow up the Chinese ship and this becomes a problem for China?” Rubio asked. “This will become a problem for the whole world. But I hope that they will de-escalate.”
10:11 am ET July 23, 2026
U.S. Air Force deploys B-1 bomber to strike Iran targets
Natalie Neysa Alund
The United States deployed a B-1 long-range bomber to strike targets in Iran since the renewal of the conflict between the countries less than two weeks ago, according to multiple news outlets
The supersonic plane, part of the U.S. Air Force’s military bomber fleet, carries up to 2,000 pounds of bombs and can reach speeds up to Mach 1.2, according to according to information from the Air Force Global Strike Command
According to The Jerusalem Post, the military deployed the B-1 on Tuesday, July 21, and struck Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets
It was not immediately known what targets were struck but Axios reported the long-range bomber launched its mission from an airbase in the UK and was spotted on online plane tracking websites
As of Thursday, July 23, CENTCOM had not publicly released information about Tuesday’s strike or said whether any casualties were involved
9:58 am ET July 23, 2026
Global oil price returns to $100 per barrel, gas prices likely to rise again
Rachel Barber
Oil prices surged Thursday morning after Iran-backed Houthi militants said they attacked two oil tankers from Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally, in the Red Sea. The group controls the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a waterway that has been used as an alternative oil shipping route as U.S.-Iran hostilities limited traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Brent crude oil — the international benchmark — rose more than 6% on Thursday, returning to $100 per barrel and its highest level since late May. West Texas Intermediate oil — the U.S. benchmark — rose 5% to near $91 per barrel, its highest level since early June.
Gas prices, which often lag oil prices, remain above $4 per gallon. As of Thursday morning, the national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $4.09, up from $3.93 last month and $3.16 this time last year.
Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said in an X post Thursday that the national average could climb to somewhere between $4.25 and $4.40 per gallon “in the next couple weeks.”
