DUBAI, JUN 10: The United States launched airstrikes on Iran on Wednesday after an Army helicopter crashed near the Strait of Hormuz in an incident that President Donald Trump blamed on Tehran.
The strikes, carried out by US Air Force and Navy fighter jets, targeted Iranian air defense systems, ground control stations and surveillance radar sites, according to US Central Command. Iranian authorities confirmed attacks near Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island but did not disclose the extent of the damage.
“The operation was a proportional response to recent attacks on U.S. forces and international commercial ships transiting regional waters,” Central Command said.
Earlier, Trump claimed on social media that Iran had shot down the helicopter while it was conducting a patrol mission over the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, asserting that the United States “must, of necessity, respond to this attack.”
Iran strongly condemned the strikes and warned of retaliation. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iranian forces “will leave no attack or threat unanswered” and cautioned foreign military forces operating near Iran’s territory that they remain at risk.
The latest escalation has further strained a fragile two-month ceasefire, coming just a day after Iran and Israel exchanged fire for the first time since the truce took effect. Iranian state media reported that Israeli attacks on Tuesday killed at least two members of the country’s air-defense units.
The conflict, which intensified after US and Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28, has disrupted global markets, pushed energy prices higher and increased the cost of essential goods worldwide.
Efforts to convert the April ceasefire into a permanent peace agreement have stalled, particularly as Israel continues to expand its military operations against the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon.
