'Strike Iran Hard Tonight': Trump’s Dramatic White House Meeting Reveals New Attack Plans

A dramatic White House meeting has revealed plans for additional strikes in Iran, with options including a large-scale but short-lived military operation aimed at increasing pressure on Tehran. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, "We will strike major sites in the country."

U.S. President Donald Trump held a Situation Room meeting at the White House on Wednesday evening on the possibility of further strikes against Iran, hours after saying that if no deal is reached, the United States would "hit them again hard." Among those who took part were Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, and special envoy Steve Witkoff. Hegseth joined by video call from U.S. Central Command headquarters in Florida.

According to two American sources, one option under consideration is a large-scale but short-lived military operation designed to increase pressure on Tehran to change its position in the negotiations. After the meeting, the defense secretary announced: "We will strike Iran hard tonight. We will attack the country's major sites."

At the same time, mediators from Qatar held talks today with senior Iranian officials in Tehran in an effort to advance contacts between Washington and Tehran. However, in the absence of significant progress, American officials assess that additional strikes could be launched soon. The developments come after the United States this week struck radar sites and air defense systems in Iran in response to the downing of an American helicopter. According to reports, the strikes were planned so as not to cause many casualties and to leave room for further negotiations.