Overview
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said U.S. forces would "hit Iran hard" with strikes planned for Wednesday and framed military action as a tool to compel Tehran into a negotiated nuclear agreement.
- President Donald Trump publicly said the U.S. struck Iran and would continue strikes, describing the campaign as a means to secure a deal rather than replace diplomacy.
- Officials tied the escalation to the downing of a U.S. AH-64 Apache near Oman earlier in the week, saying the helicopter crew was returned and that U.S. forces had retaliated.
- Hegseth said Operation Epic Fury has degraded Iranian military capabilities and that Project Freedom has protected commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz while U.S. forces have interdicted vessels trading with Iran.
- Most details about specific targets, independent verification of claimed Iranian damage, and the outcomes of recent strikes remain unconfirmed and the situation is described by U.S. officials as developing.