{"id":2613453,"date":"2026-06-11T16:52:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T20:52:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-and-hegseth-telegraph-us-attacks-on-iran\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T16:52:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T20:52:02","slug":"trump-and-hegseth-telegraph-us-attacks-on-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-and-hegseth-telegraph-us-attacks-on-iran\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump and Hegseth telegraph US attacks on Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-and-hegseth-telegraph-us-attacks-on-iran%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2613453&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\">Donald Trump<\/a> and Secretary of War <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pete-hegseth\">Pete Hegseth<\/a> have adopted a rather blunt new communications strategy when it comes to U.S. operations against Iran: we are going to tell you exactly what we are going to do, and there is nothing you can do to stop us.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Thursday morning, Trump said, \u201cThe United States will be hitting Iran (Whose Navy, Air Force, Radar, Anti Aircraft, and all other forms of Defense, together with most of its offensive capability, are GONE!), VERY HARD TONIGHT,\u201d and he did the same thing on Wednesday, prior to U.S. strikes.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4604646\/trump-hegseth-telegraph-us-attacks-iran\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump and Hegseth trial new communications strategy with Iran<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4605110\/trump-calls-off-impending-strikes-iran\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump calls off impending strikes on Iran<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4604662\/pentagon-evacuate-air-quality-issue-hazmat-team-deploy\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Pentagon evacuated over false-alarm \u2018air quality issue\u2019 with hazmat team deployed<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Telegraphing impending operations is a rarity for the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/military\">U.S. military<\/a>, which goes to extraordinary lengths to hide operational details to ensure the safety of those carrying them out. Just this week, an <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\">Iranian<\/a> drone hit a U.S. Army Apache helicopter, though both operators are in stable condition and were rescued about two hours after going down.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both the president and secretary did the same thing on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCentral Command will be busy tonight because President Trump said we will be hitting Iran hard, and we will be,\u201d Hegseth said. \u201cThey\u2019ve been \u2018tap, tap, tapping\u2019 on the deal. Instead, they\u2019re gonna have tap, tap, tap bombs dropping on key facilities in Iran from the United States of America!\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump also warned on Thursday that \u201cat some point in the not too distant future,\u201d the United States will try to take \u201cKharg Island, and other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kharg Island is located less than 20 miles off the coast of Iran in the Persian Gulf, and it typically handles roughly 90% of the country\u2019s crude oil exports. U.S. forces have already targeted Kharg Island\u2019s military infrastructure as a warning earlier in the war, but they have, thus far, refrained from major strikes against its oil infrastructure over fears of global economic disruptions and possible escalation and retaliation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump subsequently backed off on the impending strikes later Thursday, citing \u201cdiscussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran [that] have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved,\u201d but Iranian officials have not affirmed that the two sides are on the precipice of a breakthrough.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s unclear if the military operations Trump called off would have been an operation to take Kharg Island, which would have been an escalation and likely would have resulted in additional Iranian attacks.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> Joe Costa, a former senior Pentagon official now with the Atlantic Council, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>: \u201cThe threat to strike the energy infrastructure of Kharg island is designed to gain leverage in negotiations, as Kharg handles about 90% of Iran\u2019s crude oil exports.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDestroying these facilities would have massive economic implications for Iran,\u201d Costa said. \u201cWhile Iran has fortified Kharg with air defenses, underground storage, and hardened infrastructure, the U.S. previously struck military sites on the island and unquestionably has the capability to take Kharg offline, which could be done from the air.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kharg Island is west of the Strait of Hormuz, making it unlikely that the U.S. seizure of it would fundamentally alter the number of vessels transiting the strait. There are other islands off Iran\u2019s coast closer to the strait that could be better suited if the goal of the operation is to reopen the strait, but holding Kharg Island would give the U.S. leverage in negotiations because of Iran\u2019s reliance on it for its oil business.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cKharg Island is not of significant value in reopening the Strait of Hormuz in the sense that it doesn\u2019t give the military leverage and aid to set up air defense systems, which is what some of the islands around the elbow of the Strait of Hormuz would provide,\u201d Seth Jones, president of the Defense and Security Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Holding and maintaining a presence on Kharg Island will be a difficult task for U.S. forces, which will need to ensure the protection of the troops involved in the mission. Such an operation would almost certainly lead to an Iranian response and possibly an escalation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump indicated that such a mission could incur U.S. casualties, as they have frequently come under attack from Iranian missiles and drones, as have Gulf and Middle Eastern countries that host U.S. bases.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMy preference has always\u00a0been take\u00a0Kharg Island,\u201d Trump told\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fox-friends\/\"><em>Fox &#038; Friends<\/em><\/a>\u00a0Thursday morning. \u201cI don\u2019t know that America has the stomach for it, to be honest with you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4601593\/us-strikes-iran-apache-helicopter-shot-down\/\">US SAYS IT HAS COMPLETED STRIKES ON IRAN IN RESPONSE TO APACHE SHOOTDOWN<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the president\u2019s remarks, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) told reporters on Thursday that he \u201cwould not put much stock\u201d in Trump\u2019s remarks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Iran has killed seven American service members during the war, while six others died in a refueling accident.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth have adopted a rather blunt new communications strategy when it comes to U.S. operations against Iran: we are going to tell you exactly what we are going to do, and there is nothing you can do to stop us. On Thursday morning, Trump said, \u201cThe United<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2671,"featured_media":2613454,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Trump-cabinet.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2613453","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Trump-cabinet.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2613453","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2671"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2613453"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2613453\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2613454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2613453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2613453"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2613453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}