U.S. Launches Strikes on Iran in Response to Downed Apache Helicopter

The U.S. launched strikes Tuesday on Iran in retaliation for the downing of a U.S. Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz, according to U.S. Central Command.

The strikes, which the military said were carried out in self-defense, were directed by President Trump. “The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression,” Centcom, which oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East, said in a statement.

The U.S. conducted three waves of attacks, all targeting Iranian air defenses and radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz, according to a senior U.S. official.

Trump hadn’t been convinced of the need to retaliate against Iran earlier in the day, U.S. officials said. In a phone call Tuesday morning with The Wall Street Journal, he played down the incident—repeatedly saying that it “wasn’t a big deal”—and stressed that the pilots weren’t seriously injured.

He changed his mind after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine recommended military action during a briefing at the White House, the officials said. Hegseth and Caine provided Trump with updated information about the Iranian Shahed drone that struck the U.S. helicopter. When asked for comment, the Pentagon said in a statement that it didn’t discuss internal deliberations involving the president and his military advisers.

The Apache was likely hit by the drone off the coast of Oman while it was patrolling the area, U.S. officials said.

Iranian officials said Tehran didn’t deliberately target the helicopter, though it has been firing drones at commercial vessels that are coordinating with the U.S. to transit the waterway. U.S. officials said the attack merited a response, whether or not it was intentional.

In a social-media post, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said: “Foreign forces in proximity to our territory are at constant risk on account of their own human errors, plain accidents, or potentially being caught in crossfire.” In a later post after the U.S. strikes, Araghchi said: “Our Powerful Armed Forces will leave no attack or threat unanswered.”

Throughout a fragile ceasefire in the war, Iran has attacked vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. has carried out several strikes on Iranian sites to prevent the regime from tightening its grip on the strait.

The downing of the helicopter late Monday set off a race to find two American crew members who had escaped the Apache, a small attack helicopter that doesn’t have ejection seats. They were rescued by a U.S. drone boat in a first-of-its-kind operation at sea.

Centcom said earlier Tuesday that the cause of the crash was under investigation. Apaches have been flying low over the waterway for maritime patrols and precision strikes, putting them in range of drones that Iran fires across the strait.

Trump has been reluctant to return to a broad bombing campaign, though he previously told aides he would consider restarting the full-scale war with Iran if American servicemembers are killed by Iran, the Journal has reported.

The Apache crash illustrates the risks of the simmering conflict, and the rescue mission demonstrates the dangers facing military personnel operating in the region, where Iran has also shot down U.S. drones and targeted American aircraft. The U.S. is enforcing a naval blockade of Iranian ports and conducting patrols to counter Iranian threats to shipping.

In the call with the Journal on Tuesday, Trump said the blockade was making Iran “very poor” and said he would keep it in place as long as necessary. He sought to play down the helicopter incident, saying that it “wasn’t a big deal” and stressing that “the pilot is fine.”

Read More: U.S. Launches Strikes on Iran in Response to Downed Apache Helicopter - WSJ