The US has struck Iran after President Donald Trump accused Tehran of shooting down a US helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz. The US military launched strikes at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (10:00 p.m. British Summer Time) on Tuesday in response to the downing of the helicopter, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.

The mission is a proportionate response to Iran's unprovoked aggression, CENTCOM added.

Axios, citing an American official, reported that the US military struck several Iranian air defense systems and radars. US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Iran had shot down a US Apache attack helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz area the day before. There were two pilots in the helicopter, both are safe and sound. However, the US must respond to this attack, Trump wrote on Truth Social.

In an interview with ABC News, Trump warned that the retaliatory strikes against Iran will be very strong and very powerful. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi commented on the new American strikes. Despite their defeats on the battlefield, the US has decided to test Iran’s resolve.

Iran’s powerful armed forces will not leave any attack or threat unanswered, Araghchi wrote on X. The Tasnim News Agency later reported a statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran that the latter had fired missiles and drones at US targets in the region. The New York Times reported, citing unnamed sources, that a US military helicopter had crashed in the area of the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump later confirmed the crash, but neither the newspaper nor the US president said why the helicopter had crashed. Iran has not directly said that its military had shot down the US helicopter, but shortly after Trump's announcement, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called on foreign forces to leave the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding areas, warning that they were at risk.

The Strait of Hormuz is not international waters, but is under the joint jurisdiction of Iran and Oman. Foreign forces near Iranian territory are at constant risk due to their own human error, simple accidents, or the potential for being caught in the crossfire, Araghchi wrote on X.

Their best option to reduce the risk is to leave, he added. Before Trump posted his aforesaid post, CENTCOM had announced that the two pilots of the Apache helicopter that crashed in the Persian Gulf had been rescued.