President Donald Trump reportedly held a Situation Room meeting on Tuesday to discuss new strikes on strategic targets in Iran, as well as strikes against Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz.
The meeting signaled the White House is preparing for a broader military campaign aimed at forcing Tehran back to the negotiating table and ending threats to one of the world's most critical shipping lanes.
Trump met with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, War Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and other senior national security officials to review plans for expanding the operation, Axios reported.
The discussions came as U.S. forces carried out a fourth straight day of strikes targeting Iranian air defense systems, radar installations, anti-ship missile positions, and drone launch sites along the Strait of Hormuz.
The Pentagon says the campaign is intended to degrade Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping after multiple vessels came under fire in recent days.
Trump indicated the operation could soon intensify.
"We're going to hit them very hard tonight," Trump told Fox News before the meeting. "We're going to hit them hard tomorrow night. We're going to hit them really hard the night after."
He warned that if Iran refuses to negotiate, the campaign could soon expand to major infrastructure.
"Next week comes the power plants. Next week comes the bridges," Trump said.
"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," he added.
Trump also said the United States is closely monitoring activity at Iran's deeply buried Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site and would strike it if intelligence shows significant activity.
U.S. Central Command announced Wednesday morning on X that another round of precision strikes had been completed against Iranian coastal defense systems and cruise missile storage and launch sites on Greater Tunb Island near the Strait of Hormuz.
Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, said Iran has attacked seven commercial ships during the past week, killing, injuring, or leaving missing nearly a dozen civilian crew members, Axios reported.
Despite the attacks, U.S. forces coordinated the safe transit of roughly 300 ships through the strategic waterway, according to U.S. officials.
Iran has responded by launching missiles and drones at U.S. bases in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain while denouncing the expanding American campaign.
Meanwhile, Trump backed away from his earlier proposal to charge ships a reimbursement fee for using the Strait of Hormuz, instead replacing it with a U.S. naval blockade targeting Iranian ports and cargo while encouraging Gulf allies to repay America through expanded trade and investment.
Oil prices remained above $85 per barrel Wednesday as markets weighed the prospect of a wider conflict and the continuing uncertainty surrounding one of the world's most important energy corridors.