US strikes southern Iran after Apache downed by Shahed drone, Tehran fires back with missiles

The downing of the Apache

A US Army AH-64 Apache helicopter on a nighttime patrol over the Strait of Hormuz was struck by an Iranian Shahed drone on Monday, 8 June, according to a US official cited by the New York Times and Axios. The aircraft went down in the water near the coast of Oman. A US Navy surface drone located and rescued both pilots roughly two hours after the incident, CENTCOM confirmed. Both crew members were reported uninjured and in stable condition.

I was just informed by our great military that last night the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache helicopters while it was patrolling the Strait of Hormuz. The two pilots are uninjured and safe.

This marks the first loss of an Apache helicopter since hostilities between the United States and Iran began on 28 February. Tehran has previously claimed to have downed around 30 American MQ-9 Reaper drones and, in April, an F-15 fighter jet.

The American retaliation

On Tuesday, 9 June, at 17:00 local time (00:00 Wednesday in Greece), US forces began conducting what CENTCOM described as "proportional" strikes in self-defense against Iran, acting on the orders of President Donald Trump. The operation was characterized as a "proportional response to an unjustified Iranian attack." Iranian media reported explosions in Hormozgan province, on Qeshm Island, and in coastal zones near the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, attributing the blasts to airstrikes by American fighter jets.

I believe it is very important to react. They shot down a helicopter and we are reacting right now. I believe in a strong reaction. I have always believed that my whole life. This is a reaction to what they did to our helicopter last night, and I believe the reaction must be very strong, very powerful, and that is exactly what it is.

Iran's counter-response

In the early hours of Wednesday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Telegram that it had launched missiles and drones against American targets in the region. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on social media that the United States had chosen to test Iran's resolve and warned that the country's armed forces would not leave any attack or threat unanswered. He called on foreign forces to withdraw from the region for their own safety.

We prefer the language of diplomacy, but we speak other languages as well.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran's chief negotiator, added a sharper warning, stating that if commitments are violated, Iran will turn to the language it knows best.

A fragile truce under strain

The exchange of fire threatens to unravel the ceasefire brokered on 8 April in the Gulf war. Just hours before the Apache was downed, Trump had said American diplomacy was in the "final stages of a very, very good deal" to end hostilities, suggesting an agreement could be reached within "two or three days." On 8 June, Israel and Iran had announced a halt to direct attacks on each other, the first such exchanges since the April truce, though Tehran warned of further action if provoked. At least 11 people were killed in Tyre, Lebanon, on Tuesday by Israeli strikes, underscoring the broader regional volatility.

Escalation risks

The downing of the Apache is the second US aircraft confirmed lost to Iranian forces since the war began, following the crash of an F-15E Strike Eagle in southwestern Iran in April. Both pilots of that aircraft were rescued, one after a dramatic military operation. The current tit-for-tat cycle, with the US launching proportional strikes and Iran immediately countering with its own missile and drone salvos, has deepened uncertainty about the prospects for a renewed ceasefire. International observers fear further escalation between Washington and Tehran.