Iran War Spreads to High Seas as Congress Surrenders War Powers Twice in One Day

The evening briefing on a Strait of Hormuz now effectively closed to global shipping, two congressional war powers votes that changed nothing, and a Bondi subpoena that may go nowhere.

True Signal Media | The Daily Brief tracks the institutions, decisions, and accountability stories shaping the day ahead.

Thursday, March 5, 2026 Maya Sutton | Daily Brief Editor Standard International

DEVELOPING STORY UPDATE: Strait of Hormuz — The Closure That’s Costing the World

What began this morning as a developing maritime crisis ended the day looking more like a sustained blockade. The Strait of Hormuz — through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s daily oil supply moves — recorded only five vessel crossings on March 4, and by Thursday afternoon, marine war risk insurers had pulled coverage entirely for the region, removing any practical incentive for ship operators to attempt the passage.

A Malta-flagged container ship, the Safeen Prestige, was struck and abandoned by its crew in the strait, becoming the first container ship casualty of Operation Epic Fury. Some 150 vessels remain stranded on either side of the chokepoint. Oil prices continued their upward climb, with analysts from Barclays and Goldman Sachs warning that a closure lasting more than a month could push crude into triple digits and European natural gas toward the crisis levels last seen in 2022. Defense Secretary Hegseth, speaking from CENTCOM headquarters in Tampa, framed Iran’s retaliatory strikes as a strategic gift — pulling Gulf states “into the American orbit.” Whether that framing holds up against the economic reality now hitting every nation dependent on Gulf energy is a question no one in the administration answered today.

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War Powers Dead Twice Over

House Fails 212-219 Both chambers of Congress voted today to give the president a free hand in the Iran war. The House failed to adopt its war powers resolution 212-219, following Wednesday's 47-53 Senate defeat. Only two Republicans — Thomas Massie and Warren Davidson — voted with Democrats in the House. Four Democrats voted against. Speaker Johnson spent the week insisting the U.S. is "not at war," a position Trump undercut by repeatedly calling it a war while sitting next to Johnson at a White House energy roundtable. Congress has now formally declined, twice, to assert any constitutional authority over a conflict that has killed more than 1,200 people and closed the world's most critical energy chokepoint.

Sources: ABC News • NPR

Bondi Subpoenaed Over Epstein Files

But Who Enforces It? The House Oversight Committee voted 24-19 Wednesday to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi over the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein files. Five Republicans crossed over to vote yes: Reps. Burchett, Boebert, Cloud, Mace, and Perry. The DOJ has faced bipartisan fire for redacting files referencing Trump administration officials while leaving victims' personal information and explicit photos unredacted and recently removed 47,635 files from its public archive. The structural problem: if Bondi ignores the subpoena, enforcement falls to her own DOJ. The committee has the authority; the leverage is another question.

Sources: Washington Post • New Republic

Italy Calls the Strike Illegal

Sends Weapons Anyway Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told parliament Thursday that the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran was "outside the rules of international law." Hours later, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced Italy was sending defensive weapons to Gulf states at their request to help protect airspace and citizens in the region. The internal contradiction didn't appear to trouble either official.

Sources: CNN Edition

What to Watch For

Bondi response window — The Oversight Committee’s subpoena sets the clock running. Watch whether DOJ acknowledges it, contests it, or simply ignores it. The Epstein file investigation has enough bipartisan momentum that stonewalling carries political risk, but enforcement mechanisms remain weak.

Hormuz shipping — Day six of the effective closure. At what point do Gulf states — whose own economies depend on exports through the strait — move from hosting U.S. forces to actively pressuring for a diplomatic off-ramp? Watch Qatar and UAE signals.

Bottom Line

Congress voted twice today not to vote on the Iran war. The constitutional question of who has the authority to send Americans into combat didn't get resolved — it got deferred, again, until something forces the issue. Based on today's trajectory, that something will probably be a body count, a tanker on fire, or a price at the pump.