U.S. Military Strikes Vessel Approaching Kharg Island as Fighting With Iran Continues

Fighting between the United States and Iran continued on July 16, 2026. On Wednesday the U.S. military struck a commercial vessel headed toward Kharg Island that was reportedly attempting to evade the American blockade.

Earlier this week President Trump formally notified Congress that the United States is back at war with Iran. The administration stated that the notification opens a new 60-day period during which military operations can proceed without further congressional approval.

NPR reported that a majority of Americans oppose the war, though Trump's Republican base has largely continued to support his approach to the conflict.

Jay Clayton, nominated to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee. He stated he is not an election denier and acknowledged that Joe Biden was certified as president, but did not explicitly affirm that Biden won the 2020 election. Clayton has never worked in the intelligence community.

In a separate hearing, Todd Blanche, nominated for attorney general, faced questions about controversies at the Justice Department over the past 18 months. The American Civil Liberties Union released a report examining more than 1,200 immigration enforcement operations across eight states.

Nearly one-third of those operations involved force or the threat of force, including tackling, pinning individuals to the ground, and deploying chemical irritants, rubber bullets, and tasers.

The report concluded that such use of force by ICE officers has not been rare since President Trump began his second term.