President Trump convened his top national security team in the Situation Room on Tuesday to plan an expanded military campaign against Iran that goes well beyond current operations in the Strait of Hormuz, according to three sources with direct knowledge of the meeting.
The escalation appears designed to inflict enough damage to force Tehran to reopen shipping lanes and accept Trump's nuclear negotiating position. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and other senior officials attended the closed-door session.
This marks a significant intensification. For four consecutive days, U.S. forces have struck Iranian air defenses, radar systems, anti-ship missiles, and drone launch sites across the Strait region and Iran's southern coast. The Pentagon says the aim is to cripple Tehran's ability to threaten commercial shipping, which has seen seven vessels attacked in recent days, leaving nearly a dozen crew members dead, missing, or injured, according to Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper.
Despite the assaults, the U.S. Navy has successfully shepherded 300 ships through the strait over the past week. That same afternoon, the U.S. imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
Iran has responded by launching missiles and drones at American bases in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain.
In a Fox News interview before the Situation Room meeting, Trump signaled where this is headed. He said strikes would intensify over the next three days, then dramatically escalate after that.
"Next week, it gets really bad for them because next week comes the power plants," Trump said. "Next week comes the bridges. We're gonna knock out all their power plants. We're gonna knock out all their bridges unless they get to the table and negotiate."
The president also raised the prospect of targeting Pickaxe Mountain, a deep underground Iranian facility that the U.S. and Israel believe is intended for nuclear weapons development. Trump claimed American bunker busters can penetrate the site and said U.S. surveillance has detected some activity there, though he acknowledged it remains minimal. "If there's even just a small amount, we'll hit it and we'll hit it hard," he said.
Trump said his negotiators delivered a stark message to Iranian officials on Tuesday: reach a deal or face total destruction. "I said, 'You better make a deal, or you're not gonna have anything left,'" he stated.
Author James Rodriguez: "Trump's betting everything on shock and awe to break Iran at the negotiating table, but Tehran has shown it won't fold under pressure alone."
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