US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States will hit Iran hard on its own terms, according to his statement published on social media. The remark comes as the US military campaign against Iranian targets intensifies, following earlier Hegseth warnings that US bombs would strike major facilities.
Tonight, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a new warning to Iran, vowing the United States will strike "hard on our terms." The brief statement, shared on social media and monitored by The Zioneer, reinforces Washington's insistence on controlling the pace and scope of operations. The warning comes amid a sharp escalation: earlier today, Hegseth confirmed that President Trump had ordered strikes and said US Central Command would be "busy." The Zioneer reported at 20:49 UTC that Channel 12 analyst Amit Segal, citing a source, said the US would attack "major facilities" in Iran; five minutes later, at 20:54 UTC, The Zioneer published Hegseth's announcement that strikes had begun.
The earliest thread item, published at 20:20 UTC, quoted Hegseth stating that President Trump had declared an end to negotiations and that force would be applied, with CENTCOM operating efficiently. Minutes later, a second version had Hegseth saying the War Department was setting terms to secure the deal Trump expects — indicating that the campaign to pressure Iran had begun. These initial statements, attributed to broadcasts, were the first indications of a shift from diplomacy to military action. Corroboration then came through a media source: Segal's report, citing an unnamed source, described the intended targets as "major facilities." Hegseth's subsequent confirmation of strikes at 20:54 UTC elevated the thread from attributed statements to an on-record, named official declaration. The progression reflects a chain of escalation moving from declaratory threats to confirmed operations.
As The Zioneer reported earlier today, the US Embassy in Baghdad warned citizens to remain vigilant and alerted them to possible airspace closures, while the embassy in Jerusalem had ordered staff to shelter in place on June 7. This week, Iran had threatened to strike Israeli and US targets if attacked — a threat that frames the current US operations as a response to potential retaliation. The Zioneer also reported on June 10 that the Iranian Foreign Ministry said diplomacy had been harmed by the strikes.
The new warning leaves unclear what specific targets or timeline Hegseth envisions for the coming hours. While the administration has stated its intent to set terms, the scope of strikes beyond the initial wave and the threshold for de-escalation remain unspecified, with Iranian retaliation scenarios still unaddressed by Washington.
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