The US and Iran exchanged fire on Wednesday after President Donald Trump blamed Tehran for the downing of an American military helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz, triggering a rapid escalation across the Middle East.
It is one of the most serious flare-ups in violence since a fragile ceasefire took effect on April 8. The war began on February 28 with Israeli and American strikes across Iran that killed its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other senior officials.
Mr Trump said he had been informed that Iran shot down a US Army AH-64 Apache helicopter during a patrol. “There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack,” he said.
US Central Command (Centcom) said American air force and navy fighter jets carried out “self-defence” strikes later against Iranian air defence systems, radar sites and ground control stations near the strait. Centcom described the strikes as a “proportional response” to recent attacks on US forces and commercial shipping and said they were conducted at Mr Trump’s direction.
Iranian official media reported explosions in the southern coastal town of Sirik and on nearby Qeshm Island. State broadcaster Irib reported that Sirik was hit by a projectile and reported six explosions on Qeshm caused by what it described as “enemy” projectiles fired from a fighter jet.
Hours later, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned the US against further escalation. “Despite its defeats on the battlefield, the US opted to test our determination,” he wrote on X. “Our powerful armed forces will leave no attack or threat unanswered. Leave our region if you want to be safe.”
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said soon after that it had launched retaliatory attacks on US military positions across the region. In statements published on its Sepah News Telegram channel, the IRGC said it struck 21 US military targets across Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait. The IRGC also said it shot down an MQ-9 drone over Jam county in Bushehr province, on Iran’s Gulf coast.
The IRGC said it hit four targets at the US-operated Muwaffaq Salti airbase in Jordan, including F-35 fighter jet hangars and a command-and-control centre. Drones also attacked the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, the IRGC added. It claimed additional strikes on Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait in state-linked media reports.
Jordan’s Armed Forces said its air defence systems intercepted five missiles launched from Iran towards Zarqa governorate. A military source said debris from the interceptions fell inside Jordanian territory but did not cause any casualties or material damage. Response teams were sent to secure the impact sites, the source said.
In Bahrain, the Interior Ministry said warning sirens were activated and the public were told to move to safe locations. A royal adviser said Bahraini air defences had repelled the attack.
The Kuwaiti army said its air defence systems were engaged in intercepting aerial threats. It urged the public to follow official safety instructions, but did not immediately report damage or casualties.
A US official told Reuters there were no reports of American casualties or damage to US facilities after the Iranian attacks. The official said authorities were not aware of any successful strikes on US sites and added that initial assessments indicated “just about all” missiles and drones had been intercepted.
Centcom had earlier said that the two crew members aboard the downed Apache helicopter had been rescued within two hours by a US military sea drone and were in a stable condition. A US official said the helicopter had been brought down by a one-way attack drone, though the incident is still being investigated.
The IRGC said its attacks were a direct response to US strikes on Iranian territory and warned that it would retaliate against any further US military action.
The sequence of strikes and retaliatory attacks comes against the backdrop of a war that has steadily widened since late February. The conflict began with Israeli and US strikes on Iranian territory and has since expanded to encompass repeated exchanges of fire involving US forces and Iran-backed groups across the Gulf.
The current ceasefire has repeatedly been put under strain by attacks and retaliatory operations. Both sides have now signalled they are prepared for further escalation while still claiming a desire to avoid full-scale war.
Mr Trump has struggled to secure an agreement to end the war he started, alongside Israel. On Tuesday, Israeli forces conducted renewed strikes on Lebanon, including on the southern city of Tyre, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens.
Israel's refusal to end its campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah has hindered Mr Trump's efforts to turn the tenuous ceasefire with Iran into a durable settlement. Tehran has long said any peace deal with Washington depends in part on the fighting in Lebanon being brought to an end.
