On June 10, 2026, the United States launched a new wave of airstrikes against Iran, which Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth described as 'self-defense strikes.' Hegseth told reporters that Central Command would be busy that night, echoing President Donald Trump's earlier warning that the U.S. would 'hit Iran hard.' The strikes came after Iran shot down an American Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz, an attack that left both pilots unharmed.
Iranian state media reported explosions across the country, from Bandar Abbas near the strategic waterway to the port of Gorgan on the Caspian Sea.
Hegseth indicated that the bombing campaign was necessary to pressure Iran into a nuclear deal. 'If we need to negotiate with bombs, we'll negotiate with bombs, and we're very good at it,' he said.
President Trump, growing impatient with stalled peace talks, posted on Truth Social that Iran had '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 added, 'We hit them hard yesterday, and we're going to hit them again hard today.'
Iran responded with counterstrikes aimed at U.S. targets in Bahrain and Jordan, but Hegseth claimed most Iranian missiles 'missed and were shot down by us.' Central Command reported no significant damage or casualties from the attacks on the Navy's Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.
Hegseth also revealed that the secret 'Project Freedom' mission to ferry commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz had continued underground, successfully moving 100 million barrels of oil through the area. Trump confirmed the secret mission, stating that 200 commercial ships had traveled safely through the strait, which he declared the U.S.
now controls.
In a separate incident, U.S. forces disabled an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman that was attempting to transport oil from Iran in violation of the U.S.
blockade. This was the eighth such disabling since the blockade began in April.
Trump brushed off concerns about rising inflation, which hit a three-year high of 4.2% in May, largely due to war-related gas price increases. 'I love the inflation,' Trump said, predicting prices would 'come down like a rock' once the war ends.
The conflict and its economic impact are expected to be a major issue in the upcoming midterm elections, where Republicans face challenges in retaining their House majority.