US launches new Iran strikes after Trump blames Tehran for downing US helicopter – The Age
Updated ,first published
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Dubai, United Arab Emirates: The United States launched airstrikes against Iran early on Wednesday after blaming Tehran for the crash of an American attack helicopter, prompting new attacks from Iran and further widening the retaliatory strikes that threaten to derail efforts to end the war.
In response, Iran launched attacks on sites in Bahrain and Kuwait, which both sounded alerts and fired air defences in response. Jordan also reported shooting down five missiles that Iran shot at an air base hosting American forces.
The US attacks were the first American strikes on Iran since the ceasefire came into effect on April 8.
Since the US and Israel started the war with strikes on Iran on February 28, the conflict has shaken the global economy, driven up energy prices and made many basics, including food, more expensive.
Officials have been unable to turn the April ceasefire into a deal to end the conflict permanently, particularly as Israel intensifies its military campaign against the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The downing of the Apache attack helicopter and the US strikes further strained the ceasefire, a day after Iran and Israel exchanged fire for the first time since the fragile truce took effect.
Iranian state television said on Tuesday that the Israeli attacks killed at least two members of the country’s air-defence units.
Fighter jets from the US Air Force and Navy carried out strikes in Iran, the US military’s Central Command (Centcom) said, targeting “air defence, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites”. Iran acknowledged strikes around Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island, but gave no details on the damage.
“The operation was a proportional response to recent attacks on US forces and international commercial ships transiting regional waters,” Centcom said.
Meanwhile, Iran’s top diplomat said foreign military forces near its territory were “at constant risk” and later vowed that there would be a fresh response to the latest US strikes.
Iranian forces “will leave no attack or threat unanswered”, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X. “Leave our region if you want to be safe.”
Jordan said on Wednesday it shot down five incoming missiles launched by Iran, which Iran said targeted the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, which has hosted American F-35 fighter jets and other aircraft.
Jordan’s state-run Petra news agency carried the statement from its military, which added that there were no injuries in the attack and that explosives experts had examined the debris from the interceptions.
A US Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopter went down near the Strait of Hormuz after colliding with an Iranian drone, according to a US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.
It wasn’t clear whether the collision was intentional, and official statements only said the crash was under investigation. CNN, CBS News, and other outlets reported the collision earlier.
In the first known operation of its kind by the American military, a drone boat rescued both of the helicopter’s crew at 3.30am (Gulf time) on Tuesday, about two hours after their aircraft went down during a patrol off the coast of Oman, Centcom said.
The drone used to perform the rescue was a 7.3-metre vessel called a Corsair, Centcom spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins said. It was assigned to the US Navy’s Task Force 59, established in 2021 as its first uncrewed, artificial-intelligence unit focused on maritime security in the Middle East.
Trump said both crew members were “safe and uninjured”.
AH-64 Apache helicopters have been a key asset for the US military as it enforces a blockade on Iranian crude oil shipments and tankers, seeking to pressure Tehran into a deal. The helicopters have also been used by the United Arab Emirates to shoot down Iranian drones.
Before he accused Iran of downing the helicopter, Trump expressed renewed optimism over negotiations with Iran, but didn’t say why there was reason for optimism.
Mediators, led predominantly by Pakistan, have been trying for weeks to get a deal across the line. However, both Tehran and Washington have taken hardline positions.
The US wants to see Iran give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which is believed to have been buried by American airstrikes during the 12-day war in 2025. But Iran is refusing that and demanding relief from sanctions. It also wants the release of frozen assets even before a final agreement is in place, something rejected by Trump.
Israel’s military said on Wednesday it had launched multiple strikes in southern Lebanon over the past day, targeting Hezbollah infrastructure.
The continued fighting between Israel and Hezbollah is still a top Iranian priority, while Lebanon’s government has been taking an increasingly hard line against Hezbollah but remains unable to disarm the powerful militia.
Reuters, AP
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