Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth announced on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, that the United States military would launch new strikes against Iran, describing the operations as 'self-defense strikes.' Hegseth stated, 'Central Command will be busy tonight,' and promised that the U.S. would 'hit Iran hard' as ordered by President Donald Trump.
Iranian state media reported explosions at several sites near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, including Bandar Abbas, Sirik, and Qeshm Island. The escalation follows Trump's warning that he would order renewed military action due to frustration over stalled peace negotiations.
Hegseth indicated that the bombing campaign targets 'key facilities in Iran' and is necessary 'to get the kind of deal Trump expects.' He added, 'If we need to negotiate with bombs, we'll negotiate with bombs, and we're very good at it.' The strikes come a day after the U.S. military retaliated for Iran shooting down an American Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump posted on Truth Social, 'They’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!' In the Oval Office, Trump told reporters, 'We hit them hard yesterday, and we're going to hit them again hard today.' He accused Iran of 'playing us for suckers' in the negotiations. Iran responded with missile attacks on U.S.
targets in Bahrain and Jordan, but Hegseth claimed most Iranian missiles 'missed and were shot down,' causing no significant damage or casualties. Hegseth also addressed the secret 'Project Freedom,' revealing that the U.S.
military has been covertly escorting commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, successfully moving 100 million barrels of oil. Trump confirmed this, stating the secret mission prevented oil prices from spiking further.
Meanwhile, Trump brushed off concerns about rising inflation, which hit a three-year high of 4.2% in May, saying, 'I love the inflation.' He argued that prices would drop 'like a rock' once the war ends. The conflict, which began with U.S.
strikes in late February, has driven up gas prices and threatens Republican chances in the November midterm elections. U.S.
forces also disabled an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman for violating the blockade on Iranian oil shipments, marking the eighth such incident since April.