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 JD 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 10Ebrahim 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. Trump's Situation Room summit came after the two sides traded fire following the downing of a US helicopter on Monday. Its two crew members were rescued.The US carried out strikes in retaliation on Tuesday for the shooting down of the Apache chopper. Trump said he could order the targeting of Iranian bridges and power plants, a step he had originally threatened just before the ceasefire but never followed through on.'I am not going to say that to you. But I can do that,' Trump said when asked by an AFP journalist about a Fox News report that he was considering such plans. Pressed on the latest consumer price index numbers released on Wednesday showing that inflation has climbed to 4.2 percent, the highest level in three years, the President was oddly enthusiastic about the price hikes facing US consumers. Any US response will likely further delay diplomatic negotiations to end the war and could spark Iranian retaliation against other US allies in the Gulf'No, I love it, the numbers were great,' Trump responded. 'You know what I really love, I love the inflation.''You know why ... we've been taking out millions of barrels of oil,' Trump continued, explaining how the US has been taking crude from Iran amid the blockade of the Hormuz Strait.'Nobody knows it. You know who doesn’t know about it? Iran, until right now,' Trump said in the Oval Office.The President went on to say that because many of Iran's radars have been destroyed, they cannot detect the vessels as they transit the Strait, through which around 20 percent of the global oil supply flows.'That’s why oil is at $85 a barrel,' he added. 'We’ve been taking out millions of barrels of oil, millions of barrels every night.'Later, Trump clarified on social media that a 'secret mission' has 'resulted in more than 100 million barrels of oil' making its way through the Strait and 'into the open market.'He claimed that the blockade had halted Iranian business and prevented it from paying military wages, while still allowing other countries to export 'lots of oil.''Praise be to Allah!' Trump wrote on Truth Social.In the US strikes late Tuesday, the CENTCOM said the US Air Force and Navy had hit command and control, defense and surveillance stations.Iran said it attacked American bases in Jordan and Bahrain on Wednesday.But Trump said that despite the fighting he was hoping for 'peace for the world' for his 80th birthday on Sunday, when he is hosting a cage fight on the White House lawn.