The United States military launched new airstrikes against Iran hours after President Donald Trump promised to retaliate for the downing of a US Army helicopter.
Forces under U.S. Central Command (Centcom) “began carrying out self-defense strikes against Iran at 5 p.m. ET today, as directed by the commander in chief, in response to the downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter yesterday,” Centcom said on social media.
“The mission is a proportionate response to Iran’s unjustified aggression,” Centcom said.
The scale of the latest attacks was not immediately clear, but they further weaken an already fragile ceasefire signed in April. The US and Iran have been exchanging attacks related to commercial traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, even as Trump says the two countries are close to signing a deal to end the conflict.
The ceasefire has also been put to the test by clashes between Israel and Iran linked to hostilities in Lebanon, where Israeli forces are fighting Tehran-backed Hezbollah militants. Earlier this month, Iran attacked Kuwait and Bahrain with drones.
Although Trump and other officials have repeatedly said a deal was close, negotiations have dragged on and the strategic Strait of Hormuz has remained closed, keeping global energy prices high and increasing pressure on the White House to end the conflict.
