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The United States has once again launched an attack on Iran. US President Donald Trump directly warned Iran, holding it responsible for shooting down a US helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz. The attack was launched within hours of this accusation.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported this on Wednesday. In a post on the social media platform X, CENTCOM stated that these attacks began at 5:15 PM US Eastern Time and after midnight on Thursday local Iranian time.
CENTCOM further stated that these attacks were in response to Iran’s unprovoked and continued aggression. However, the exact locations in Iran where the attacks occurred were not explicitly disclosed.
According to Iranian media reports, loud explosions were heard in the port city of Bandar Abbas. Explosions also occurred on Qeshm Island, and in the southern cities of Gorgan, Sirik, and Minab. Iran’s Mehr news agency reported that authorities activated air defense systems in the western parts of the capital, Tehran.
Initial reports of casualties and damage from these attacks were not available.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) stated that this operation was a response to Iran’s unjust aggression.
Explosions were also reported along the coast of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
CENTCOM also announced that two crew members of the downed US Apache helicopter were rescued by an American Sea-Drone.
This marks the first time the US military has officially acknowledged the use of such a vehicle in this type of operation.
Both pilots were safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the United States must respond to this attack, President Trump wrote on Truth Social.
US officials claim Iran used a drone to carry out this attack.
However, an unnamed US official told CBS News, a US partner of the BBC, that it is still unclear whether the Iranian drone intentionally attacked the helicopter.
Iranian media also confirmed the incident, but Iran did not claim responsibility for downing the aircraft, according to the semi-official Mehr News Agency.
Hours after the attack, CENTCOM announced that the United States had struck Iran in retaliation.
They described it as a proportionate response to Iran’s unjust aggression.
According to the US website Axios, these new strikes targeted Iran’s defense and radar systems.
Iranian state media reported that explosions were heard along the Persian Gulf coast, including Bandar Abbas, Qeshm, and Sirik.
In a telephone interview with ABC News, the US President blamed Iran for the attack.
He said, “What they did to our helicopter last night, this is a response to that. I think this response should be very strong and forceful, and this attack is exactly that.”
Returning to Washington, House Speaker Mike Johnson stated that he was present when Trump made the decision to restart US attacks on Iran.
The top Republican leader further said, “It’s unfortunate that it became necessary, but we have to deal with this situation.”
In response to the incident, Iran’s Foreign Minister threatened the United States, stating that they would not leave any attack or threat unanswered.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi wrote on X, “Despite defeat on the battlefield, the United States has decided to test our resolve.”
“If you want to be safe, get out of our region,” he added.
The possibility of US military action against Iran emerged when Israeli forces launched attacks across southern Lebanon on Tuesday.
Tehran then warned that Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon would trigger a new wave of counter-attacks.
On Tuesday, Aragchi said that foreign forces near Iranian territory are always at risk of humanitarian errors, common accidents, or mistaken gunfire.
He added that the best solution for them (foreign forces) to reduce risk is to leave the region.
Minutes before Trump’s comments on the helicopter downing on Tuesday, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran’s top negotiator for peace talks with Washington, hinted at a counter-attack on social media.
He wrote, “We prioritize the language of diplomacy, but we also know how to speak other languages very well. If you break your promises, we will speak in the best language at our disposal.”
Notably, Israel and Iran have again attacked each other after a ceasefire began in April following weeks of retaliatory strikes.
Trump publicly told both countries to stop firing immediately because they were jeopardizing an agreement to end the regional war between Tehran and Washington.
He said on Truth Social that Israel and Iran wanted an “immediate ceasefire,” but “ignorance or foolishness” stood in the way of establishing peace.
On Tuesday, he further told reporters, “We are at the very end of a deal that will be very good.”
The deal could take “two or three days” to complete, and the Strait of Hormuz would be opened immediately afterward, Trump added.
Earlier in Tuesday’s statement, CENTCOM reported that the two crew members of the downed Apache helicopter were rescued on Monday at 7:33 PM local time.
The US Naval Forces Central Command and the 82nd Airborne Division led this rescue operation. US air and naval forces, including the US Fifth Fleet’s Task Force 59, provided assistance.
A CENTCOM spokesperson told the BBC that an Unmanned Surface Drone (unmanned sea vehicle) operated by the Bahrain-based Task Force 59 rescued the crew members.
The drone rescued the soldiers and took them to another location on the water, from where they were later picked up by helicopter, the spokesperson added.
Source: ABC News, BBC, Euro News, The Guardian.