The Dictatorship
U.S., Iran exchange airstrikes following downing of Army helicopter
The United States military said it completed its latest round of strikes on Iran on Tuesday following the earlier downing of a U.S. helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command announced.
The Associated Press reported that Iran said it retaliated with attacks in Bahrain and Kuwait and claimed it targeted a military base in Jordan that hosts U.S. forces. Jordan later confirmed that it had shot down five missiles.
Central Command said the U.S. strikes were launched “at the Commander in Chief’s direction” at 5 p.m. ET, in response to the downing of the helicopter.
During the strikes, U.S. fighter jets targeted Iranian air defense systems, ground control stations and surveillance radar sites involved in threatening U.S. forces and commercial shipping in the region, CENTCOM later reported in a statement.
“The operation was a proportional response to recent attacks on U.S. forces and international commercial ships transiting regional waters,” the command’s statement said. An earlier post to X described the strikes as proportional “to unjustified Iranian aggression.”
Military officials warned U.S. forces to “remain vigilant and postured” to defend against further threats in the region.
Kuwait also said its air defenses were activated after Iran said it targeted the Gulf nation in retaliation over the U.S. airstrikes.
President Donald Trump earlier blamed Iran for downing the helicopter and said it was a “necessity” for the U.S. to respond. But a U.S. official who spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity said the helicopter went down after colliding with an Iranian drone. It is unclear if the collision was intentional, the AP reported, and CENTCOM earlier said the cause of the incident is under investigation.
Two service members on the helicopter were rescued by a drone boat, and Trump said they were “safe and uninjured.”
ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl said he was on the phone with Trump when CENTCOM announced the strikes, and that Trump doubled down on his earlier stance, saying, “This is a response to what they did with our helicopter last night, and I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that’s what this one is.”
The strikes come as the latest escalation in the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, which is ostensibly on a break during a ceasefire while negotiations take place. But on Sunday, Israel and Iran exchanged firemarking the first break in the ceasefire since April.
Julianne McShane is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW who also covers the politics of abortion and reproductive rights. You can send her tips from a non-work device on Signal at jmcshane.19 or follow her on X or Bluesky.
Ebony Davis is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked at BLN as a campaign reporter covering elections and politics.