Donald Trump has held a Situation Room meeting as he plans a massive bombing raid on Iran after losing patience with negotiations to the end the war.
The President met with Vice President Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine and White House envoy Steve Witkoff, two US sources told Axios.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth joined the meeting from US Central Command (CENTCOM) headquarters in Tampa, Florida.
Hegseth told reporters: ‘CENTCOM will be busy tonight because we are going to hit Iran hard … they are going to have tap, tap, tap bombs dropping on key facilities in Iran from the US. It is not to restart the war but to set the terms for a deal.’
Trump is considering an operation ‘that is big in scale but short in duration,’ sources told Axios.
The aim of the renewed strikes is to push the Iranians into making a deal after months of stalemate since a ceasefire was announced a the start of April.
Trump made no secret of his intentions as he told reporters in the Oval Office: ‘We hit them hard yesterday, and we’re going to hit them hard again today.’
Iran responded by threatening to broaden the conflict to other countries.
President Donald Trump holds a meeting in the Situation Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S. June 21, 2025
A B-2 Spirit flies into position during a refueling mission over the North Atlantic Ocean June 11, 2014
People run in front of burned cars that were attacked in an Israeli airstrike in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Wednesday, June 10
Ebrahim Azizi, head of the national security commission in Iran’s parliament, promised retaliation on X, writing: ‘This time, the war won’t be limited to the region.’
Qatari mediators were holding talks with Iranian officials on Wednesday in another effort to bring about a deal.
The White House declined to comment.
