US launches strikes on Iran after Apache helicopter shot down over Strait of Hormuz
The US military launched what it called proportional self-defense strikes against Iran on Tuesday evening after an American AH-64 Apache attack helicopter was shot down over the Strait of Hormuz, with President Trump vowing a very powerful response.
The downing of the Apache
An American AH-64 Apache attack helicopter crashed near the coast of Oman on Monday while patrolling the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump confirmed on his Truth Social platform that the Iranians shot down the aircraft. A US official, speaking anonymously, said a one-way Iranian attack drone brought down the Apache. Iranian state media did not claim responsibility for the incident.
The two crew members were rescued within roughly two hours by a US naval surface drone, in what Central Command described as the first operation of its kind conducted by American forces. Both pilots are in stable condition and were reported uninjured. The helicopter was armed with Hellfire missiles and had been operating increasingly close to Iranian-controlled islands in the Strait and the Persian Gulf.
I have just been informed by our Great Military that last night the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache Helicopters while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz.
The US response
Central Command announced that self-defense strikes began at 5 p.m. Washington time on Tuesday, at Trump's direction. The mission was described as a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression. The strikes targeted air defense and radar systems around the Strait of Hormuz, according to an Axios reporter citing a person familiar with the matter.
Trump told ABC News the response should be very strong and very powerful. The full scope of the strikes remained unclear in the immediate aftermath. This is the second US aircraft lost to Iranian fire since April, when an F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down and its two crew members were rescued after ejecting into hostile territory.
The response should be very strong, very powerful — and that is exactly what it is.
Explosions reported on Iran's southern coast
Iranian state media reported multiple explosions along the country's southern coast near the Strait of Hormuz. The Mehr news agency cited blasts in the port cities of Bandar Abbas and Sirik, as well as near Qeshm Island. The Fars news agency reported explosions in the eastern areas of Hormozgan province, including Kuhistak, Sirik and Minab, along with air defense activity in parts of the province.
Franceinfo reported that Tasnim news agency wrote on Telegram at 0:15 a.m. Paris time that the situation had calmed. No information on damage or casualties was immediately available from Iranian sources.
- US AH-64 Apache helicopter shot down by Iranian drone while patrolling Strait of Hormuz near Oman coast
- Both crew members rescued within two hours by US naval surface drone
- Trump tells reporters at JFK Airport that pilots are fine and nobody was injured
- Trump posts on Truth Social confirming Iran shot down the Apache and vows US must respond
- US Central Command launches self-defense strikes against Iranian air defense and radar systems
- Tasnim news agency reports situation has calmed on Iran's southern coast
Broader regional context
The downing marks the first loss of an Apache helicopter in the current conflict. Tehran has already destroyed approximately 30 Reaper drones, and several US fighter jets have been lost to enemy and friendly fire since the war began. The Apache fleet patrols the strategic waterway partly to deter small-boat attacks and to shoot down drones.
Tensions are compounded by ongoing Israeli raids in Lebanon. Trump denied that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defied him by attacking Iran on Sunday, telling the BBC that missiles were already in flight when he spoke with the Israeli leader by phone.
If I tell him to do something, he does it.
