The U.S. launched strikes against Iran on Tuesday evening in response to an earlier Iranian attack on an American military helicopter near the coast of Oman, U.S. Central Command said.
The strikes targeted Iranian air defense and radar systems around the Strait of Hormuz, according to several reports.
President Trump previously said the U.S. would be forced to respond after Iranian forces shot down a helicopter carrying two American pilots late Monday night. Both pilots were uninjured.
“Nevertheless,” Trump said, “the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack.”
U.S. Central Command said the two soldiers were patrolling regional waters in a U.S. Army AH-64 Apache when the helicopter went down. “The Soldiers were safely rescued within approximately two hours and are in stable condition,” it stated.
Two U.S. officials confirmed that the helicopter was brought down by an Iranian drone, according to CNN.
As the U.S. military carried out the retaliatory strikes on Tuesday, Trump told ABC News his administration’s response had been “very strong, very powerful.”
“This is a response to what they did, they did with our helicopter last night, and I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that’s what this one is,” he said.
Iranian officials, meanwhile, said that no attack from the U.S. would be left “unanswered.”
“Despite its defeats on the battlefield, the US opted to test our determination. Our powerful armed forces will leave no attack or threat unanswered,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in a post on X.
“Leave our region if you want to be safe,” he added.
Trump announced earlier on Monday an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Iran after weeks of missile exchanges and ceasefire violations.
“Both sides are looking to do an immediate CEASEFIRE! Final negotiations on ‘Peace’ are proceeding, subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way,” wrote Trump in a Truth Social post. “The Blockade will remain in place, and in full force and effect, until a ‘Final Deal’ is reached. Things should move quickly.”
Trump also assured reporters that a deal to end the conflict could be reached “in two or three days,” according to POLITICO.
However, this is not the first violent confrontation between the U.S. and Iran since the ceasefire began. On June 5, U.S. forces shot down Iranian one-way attack drones to protect ship passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded by launching ballistic missiles toward Kuwait, which were intercepted by Kuwait forces. Both accused the other side of violating the terms of the ceasefire.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also issued a vague warning earlier on Tuesday in an X post: “We prefer the language of diplomacy, but we speak other languages far more fluently. Break your commitments, and we’ll switch to what we speak best. You ride the horse you saddled!”