U.S. and Iran Exchange Strikes Near Hormuz
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- U.S. Central Command launched three rounds of strikes against Iranian air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, calling them a "proportional response" to Monday's downing of an Army AH-64 Apache helicopter.
- Iran's military fired at least four ballistic missiles and several drones at U.S. bases in Jordan and Kuwait, while Bahrain reported its air defenses had repelled Iranian attacks.
- A U.S. official told Axios that an investigation determined an Iranian drone struck the Apache near the Strait of Hormuz, though the probe had not concluded whether the attack was intentional.
- Both Apache crew members were rescued by a drone boat following Monday's crash and are in stable condition, according to the U.S. military.
- Trump said the U.S. "must, of necessity, respond" to the helicopter's downing and told ABC News the strikes would be "very powerful."
- Iran's IRGC warned that if the U.S. "repeats its aggression," Iran will carry out "more severe and widespread attacks," while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told foreign forces to "leave our region if you want to be safe."
Why it matters: U.S. and Iranian forces have now traded direct strikes in a single day, with CENTCOM calling its action "proportional" and Iran's IRGC promising "more severe" attacks if the cycle continues. Trump is simultaneously pursuing a deal to end the war, meaning any further escalation directly threatens those negotiations.
