US launches strikes on Iranian military targets after Apache helicopter incident

WASHINGTON — US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Tuesday that American forces launched self-defense strikes against Iranian military targets following the downing of a US Army Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz.In a statement posted on X, CENTCOM said the strikes began at approximately 5 p.m. Eastern Time on the orders of President Donald Trump.“US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces began launching self-defense strikes against Iran, at 5 p.m. ET today at the Commander in Chief’s direction, in response to yesterday’s downing of a US Army Apache helicopter,” the command said.“The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression,” it added.Earlier, Trump said Washington was compelled to respond to what he described as an Iranian attack that brought down the helicopter.CENTCOM separately confirmed that two crew members aboard the AH-64 Apache were rescued after the aircraft crashed near the coast of Oman while patrolling regional waters on Monday.“At 7:33 p.m. ET on June 8, two crew members from a U.S. Army AH-64 Apache were rescued by American forces after their helicopter went down near the coast of Oman,” CENTCOM said.The pilots were rescued within two hours and were reported to be in stable condition. The cause of the incident remains under investigation.The rescue operation involved US Naval Forces Central Command, the 82nd Airborne Division, Air Force units, Navy assets and Task Force 59 of the US Fifth Fleet.Trump said earlier Tuesday that the pilots were safe and that a formal report on the incident would be released.The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Gulf following months of conflict between the United States and Iran, including efforts by Washington to counter Tehran's disruption of commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.Despite the latest escalation, Trump said negotiations with Iran remain ongoing and that both sides are “very close” to reaching what he described as a “strong, powerful deal.”The Apache crash would mark the first loss of that aircraft type in the conflict, which began on Feb. 28.