US Warns of 'Hard' Strikes on Iran After Helicopter Downing

The U.S. appeared to be on the brink of a major escalation in the conflict against Iran on Wednesday as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that Iranian forces will be hit “hard” in the coming hours.

Hegseth spoke to members of the press at U.S. Central Command headquarters on Wednesday afternoon and vowed a significant retaliation for the downing of a U.S. Apache helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz this week.

“Centcom will be busy tonight because the president has said that we will be hitting Iran hard,” said Hegseth. He cautioned, however, that the strikes were aimed at forcing Iran to accept a long-term agreement, not resuming full-scale war.

"We will strike them hard tonight and hopefully Iran makes a good decision,” said Hegseth. “Iran has a chance to make a good deal, a great deal, to codify what they said they’ve been willing to do, and they haven’t been doing it.”

“That’s not because we don’t want to restart anything we don’t have to restart,” added the Defense secretary. “It’s because the war department is prepared to set the terms to ensure that we have the kind of deal that President Trump expects.”

This is a breaking news report. More to follow...