US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said tonight's strikes on Iran will be 'clear and powerful,' as President Trump chaired a Situation Room meeting with top security officials. Iran warned it is 'fully prepared' and would target any country whose territory or airspace is used for strikes against it, according to Iranian sources.
The Trump administration is escalating its military pressure on Iran through the night. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has vowed that the strikes will be 'powerful and clear,' as President Trump chaired a Situation Room meeting at the White House with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, and envoy Steve Witkoff. Iran responded with defiance: a military source told Tasnim that its armed forces are 'fully prepared,' and an intelligence source told Fars that Tehran is monitoring all U.S. movements and repeated the threat that any country allowing its territory or airspace to be used for strikes will be considered a legitimate target. An Iranian jet was reported patrolling the Iran-Iraq border near Ilam.
This development caps a rapid sequence of escalating statements from Hegseth over the past hour. At 20:44 UTC, The Zioneer reported the first of several versions: Hegseth initially said the strikes are 'not a return to war' but a push for negotiations, then added that 'tap, tap, tap bombs' would hit key facilities unless Iran makes a deal. Within minutes, he specified that CENTCOM would be busy tonight, confirmed that Trump had ordered the strikes, and said the operation would target key Iranian facilities with 'knock-knock-knock' bombs — all at the same timestamp, indicating a fast-moving declaratory campaign. He later expressed hope that Iran would make a 'good decision.' The latest statement, reported now, ties the threat directly to a White House command-and-control session.
As The Zioneer reported earlier today (20:48 UTC), the Pentagon prepared strategic bombers and fighters for a major offensive, and President Trump confirmed heavy strikes on Iranian infrastructure, signaling a shift to a daily operational tempo. The broader context includes a week of U.S.-Iran hostilities: on June 7, The Zioneer reported that Trump placed the U.S. military on alert after an IRGC missile barrage, and on June 9, it reported the U.S. signaled an expanded air campaign under 'Operation Epic Fury.'
The central open question remains whether Iran will follow through on its threat to widen the theater of conflict by targeting countries that support the U.S. operation.
8 developments
- ConfirmedHegseth warns US will hit Iran hard on American terms
- ConfirmedAmit Segal: US will strike 'major facilities' in Iran
- DevelopingHegseth says US will keep large forces in region, reinstate Iran siege if commitments unmet
- StrongHegseth says US on track to sign deal with Iran, expects talks to continue
Source and signal
- Internal intake