Donald Trump on Wednesday launched retaliatory strikes against Iran after Tehran shot down a US Apache helicopter near the troubled Strait of Hormuz. The escalation came amid months of tensions in the Middle East following the launch of the US mega military campaign against Iran – Operation Epic Fury.The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces targeted Iranian air defence systems, ground control stations and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz. Fighter jets from the US air force and navy carried out the strikes using precision-guided weapons. The military action was conducted under the direction of commander-in-chief Donald Trump.Video footage circulating online appeared to show US strikes hitting an Iranian site, triggering a massive explosion that lit up the night sky. According to an Al Jazeera report, explosions were heard in the Iranian cities of Jask and Bandar Abbas.Earlier, Trump had warned Iran of retaliation after the helicopter was shot down. He later sought to downplay the incident, saying it was “not a big deal” because the pilots had survived. Meanwhile, Iranian state media, citing military sources, reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had vowed a “decisive response” to the “renewed hostilities by the enemy under the pretext of helicopter crash.” Tehran promised to retaliate, raising fresh doubts over efforts to secure a permanent ceasefire in the conflict. The war has already disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and pushed up global energy prices. Missile warning sirens also sounded in Bahrain, home to the US navy’s 5th Fleet, after Iran claimed it had targeted the island nation in response.The US military said the strikes focused on “air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites.” Iran confirmed attacks near Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island but did not provide details about the extent of the damage.”The operation was a proportional response to recent attacks on US forces and international commercial ships transiting regional waters,” CENTCOM said.Trump earlier wrote on social media that Iran had shot down the helicopter while it was patrolling the Strait of Hormuz and said the US “must, of necessity, respond to this attack.”Iran’s top diplomat warned that foreign military forces operating near Iranian territory “are at constant risk” and later pledged a response to the latest US strikes.Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X: “will leave no attack or threat unanswered.” He added, “Leave our region if you want to be safe.” The downing of the Apache helicopter and the subsequent US strikes further strained a two-month ceasefire. The development came a day after Iran and Israel exchanged fire for the first time since the fragile truce took effect. Iranian state television reported that Israeli attacks on Tuesday killed at least two members of the country’s air-defence units.Since the US and Israel began striking Iran on February 28, the conflict has shaken the global economy, driven up energy prices and increased the cost of many essential goods, including food.Efforts to turn the April ceasefire into a permanent peace agreement have so far failed, especially as Israel continues and expands its military operations in Lebanon against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia.
