US launches strikes on Iran after Apache helicopter downed

The United States military announced that it has launched strikes against Iran following the crash of a US Apache helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement posted to social media, US Central Command said the strikes would be “a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression.” The strikes come after US President Donald Trump vowed to respond after he accused Iran of shooting down a US military helicopter the previous night. Iran deputy foreign minister said the US helicopter was not deliberately targeted by Tehran.
According to the US military, the operation was a "proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression." In a statement posted to social media, US Central Command said the strikes would be "a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression." It comes after Trump blamed Iran for downing the helicopter and vowed that the US would respond. In the first known operation of its kind by the American military, a drone boat rescued the two aviators who were aboard the Apache attack helicopter when it went down near the critical shipping lane that Iran has effectively closed during its war with the US and Israel.

SIX EXPLOSIONS heard in Qeshm, STRAIT OF HORMUZ as Trump BOMBS IRAN in 'PROPORTIONAL RESPONSE' — IRIB pic.twitter.com/X18kLSBPWg

— RT (@RT_com) June 9, 2026

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned foreign forces near Iran’s territory to leave the region, after President Donald Trump said Tehran had downed a US Apache helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz. He said the Strait of Hormuz was “NOT international waters” but was shared between Iran and Oman, adding that maritime boundaries were “crystal clear.” “Our powerful Armed Forces are on constant alert for any violation of Iran’s airspace, land or waters,” he 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,” Araghchi said in a post on X. 
Iran also accused the UN nuclear watchdog's chief Rafael Grossi of overlooking what it called illegal US and Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities, saying his approach resembled past reporting on the 2015 nuclear deal. In an explanatory note addressed to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors, the organization said no country had been subjected to as much monitoring as Iran, while also claiming no country had faced as many military attacks against its peaceful nuclear facilities.
The downing of the helicopter further strained a two-month ceasefire a day after Iran and Israel exchanged fire for the first time since the fragile truce took effect. Iranian state television said Tuesday that the Israeli attacks killed at least two members of the country's air-defense units.