US strikes Iran after an Apache goes down, as Tehran fires at American bases
The United States and Iran have exchanged fire in a sharp escalation near the Strait of Hormuz after an American patrol helicopter went down, triggering US strikes and a wave of Iranian retaliation.
US Central Command said it had completed a series of attacks on Iranian targets after an American Apache helicopter was downed on Monday. The military said fighter jets hit Iranian air defence systems, ground control stations and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most sensitive shipping routes.
Washington described the operation as a proportional response. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps condemned the US action as vicious and said it had launched drones and missiles at 21 targets linked to US bases in the region, including facilities in Bahrain and Jordan. Kuwait’s army said it was also intercepting an attack.
US officials have not yet confirmed whether American bases were damaged. In Bahrain, local authorities issued an air raid alert and said incoming Iranian attacks had been repelled.
The escalation followed the rescue of two crew members from the downed helicopter. Centcom said an American sea drone recovered the pair on Monday, marking the first public confirmation that the US military had used that kind of unmanned vessel in such an operation. President Donald Trump said both pilots were safe and uninjured, but insisted the United States had to respond.
US officials said Iran used a drone in the incident involving the helicopter. However, the intent behind the encounter remains unclear. An unnamed US official told CBS News that it was not known whether the Iranian drone had deliberately attacked, while Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency reported that Tehran had not claimed responsibility for bringing down the aircraft.
Iran said the US strikes hit areas around Jask, Sirik and Qeshm, an island in the Gulf. The IRGC said the attacks damaged a telecommunications tower and two water tanks.
In Washington, US House Speaker Mike Johnson said he was with Trump when the president decided American attacks should resume. Johnson said the US regretted that action had become necessary, but added that Washington would have to take care of the matter.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi issued a stark warning after the renewed US strikes. He said Iran would not leave any attack or threat unanswered and told foreign forces to leave the region if they wanted to be safe. Araghchi also said foreign forces operating near Iranian territory remained at constant risk from human error, accidents or crossfire.
Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, also signalled retaliation in a social media post shortly before Trump commented publicly on the downed helicopter. He said Iran preferred diplomacy, but warned that it could switch to other methods if commitments were broken.
The latest flare-up comes as the wider regional conflict remains dangerously unstable. Israeli forces carried out strikes across southern Lebanon on Tuesday, after Tehran had warned that Israeli attacks there would trigger further retaliation.
Israel and Iran had only recently halted direct exchanges of fire after weekend attacks threatened an April truce. Trump publicly urged both countries to immediately stop shooting, warning that the violence could endanger negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
Despite the renewed hostilities, Trump claimed Israel and Iran were looking towards an immediate ceasefire and said peace depended on ignorance or stupidity not getting in the way. Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, he said talks were in their final stages, predicted a very good deal within two or three days, and said the Strait of Hormuz would reopen immediately afterwards.