US will target 'key facilities' in Iran in planned strikes: Pentagon chief

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that planned American military strikes would focus on "key facilities" in Iran, warning that operations scheduled for the coming hours would be "strong and clear."

"We will hit them hard on our terms on the targets that improve the environment for us to operate in and undermine the capabilities that Iran wants to have," Hegseth told reporters at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida.

He added that additional strikes were expected imminently and suggested they could extend into the following night if necessary.

"This building (CENTCOM headquarters) continues to plan, and so those strikes that will happen tonight will be strong and clear, and if they have to happen tomorrow night, they will be strong and clear," he said.

Hegseth described the expected operations as part of a broader effort to pressure Tehran into a diplomatic agreement, echoing remarks attributed to President Donald Trump about maintaining leverage while negotiations continue.

"So as President Trump said, they've been tap tap tapping. You can see when someone's trying to tap tap tap on a deal, instead they're going to have tap tap tap bombs dropping on key facilities in Iran from the United States of America, and that's not because we want to restart anything we don't have to restart," he said.

Hegseth criticized a reporter after being asked whether potential US strikes on bridges and electrical infrastructure in Iran could constitute a "war crime."

"That's precisely the kind of disingenuous question that I'm used to from the media, impugning the motives of the folks on our side who are incredibly professional and incredibly effective," he replied.

The US launched a series of "self-defense strikes" Tuesday against Iranian military targets in response to the downing of a US Army Apache helicopter on Monday.

When asked about the condition of the pilots, Hegseth said they are "in good shape."