U.S. retaliatory strikes on Iran follow downing of Apache helicopter; Tehran responds with drone and missile attacks
WASHINGTON — The United States launched retaliatory strikes against Iran on Tuesday evening, hours after a U.S. Army Apache attack helicopter was shot down by an Iranian Shahed drone near the Strait of Hormuz. The two pilots were rescued by an unmanned surface vessel in what the Pentagon described as an unprecedented sea-drone rescue operation, and both are in stable condition.
U.S. Central Command said the strikes hit nearly 20 targets, including air defense batteries, radar installations and ground control stations along Iran's southern coast. The operation was described as a "proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression," and came at the direction of President Trump.
Speaking to ABC News shortly after the strikes began, Trump said: "I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that's what this one is." He earlier told The Wall Street Journal the helicopter downing "wasn't a big deal" and the pilot was fine, but insisted the U.S. had to respond.
Iran did not wait long to retaliate. Early Wednesday local time, Iranian state media reported that its navy launched drone attacks targeting the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait. Kuwait's army confirmed its air defense systems were intercepting "hostile aerial targets," while Jordan said it shot down five Iranian missiles aimed at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, which hosts American F-35 fighter jets. No U.S. casualties were immediately reported.
The tit-for-tat exchange threatened to unravel a fragile diplomatic process. Trump said late Monday that negotiations with Iran were in their "final throes" and a deal could be reached in "two or three days." But the helicopter incident and the subsequent military strikes have cast doubt on that timeline. Iran's foreign ministry warned Gulf states they have a "legal and moral responsibility" to prevent U.S. and Israeli forces from using their territory to launch attacks against Tehran.
This is not the first time this year that the U.S. and Iran have exchanged fire. Since the U.S. and Israel launched a joint military campaign against Iran on Feb. 28, the region has seen a series of strikes, counterstrikes and failed ceasefires. The latest escalation follows a weekend exchange between Israel and Iran, with both sides agreeing to halt operations Monday just hours before the Apache was shot down.
In a sign of the broader war's reach, Israel continued its operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, issuing an evacuation order for the city of Tyre and carrying out airstrikes that killed at least eight people, according to Lebanon's health ministry. The Iran-backed group has rejected a ceasefire brokered by the Trump administration last week.
Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance told USA Today he is "confident" the Iran war will not become a quagmire, arguing the U.S. mission remains narrowly focused on preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he was briefed ahead of the strikes and described them as "proportional and limited."
For ordinary Iranians, the war has strained an already battered economy. Business owners in Tehran's Grand Bazaar report that while commerce continues — with coffee shops and construction projects still humming — decades of sanctions, inflation and conflict have eroded living standards. The International Monetary Fund recorded a 1.5% contraction in Iran's GDP last year even before the war began.
On the diplomatic front, the Trump administration faced separate criticism over its handling of World Cup visa restrictions. The White House defended its decision to deny entry to a Somali referee and some Iranian team support staff, with task force director Andrew Giuliani saying those barred had "very good reason" for being turned back.
As the region braces for further escalation, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed for restraint, saying he was "deeply alarmed" and calling for all attacks to stop immediately. "There is no military solution to the conflicts in the Middle East," he said. "The only way forward is through dialogue and negotiations."