US Central Command has confirmed that American Air Force and Navy fighter jets struck a range of Iranian military installations near the Strait of Hormuz using precision munitions, in the latest escalation of the ongoing conflict between Washington and Tehran.
"CENTCOM forces struck Iranian air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz with precision munitions from U.S. Air Force and Navy fighter jets," CENTCOM said in an official statement.
"The operation was a proportional response to recent attacks on U.S. forces and international commercial ships transiting regional waters. U.S. forces remain vigilant and postured to defend against unjustified Iranian aggressiony," it added.
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The statement confirmed that the self-defence strikes were completed on Tuesday at President Donald Trump's direction, triggered by Iran's downing of a US Army AH-64 Apache helicopter near the coast of Oman the previous evening.
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CENTCOM said the two-member crew was rescued within approximately two hours of the incident, with both soldiers in stable condition. Senators briefed by CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper subsequently came away with the impression that an Iranian drone had deliberately downed the aircraft.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who said he was present in the White House Situation Room with Trump and senior officials ahead of the operation, described the strikes as "proportional and limited," confirming they targeted Iranian radar, missile, and command-and-control infrastructure.
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Iranian media reported explosions and air defence activations across multiple locations in southern Iran, including Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island, Sirik County, and Jask — all strategic positions clustered around the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state television IRIB separately reported that two water reservoirs in the Bemani district were struck, disrupting drinking water supplies to the area.
The IRGC subsequently announced a drone strike against the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain in retaliation, according to Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency.
The strikes are the latest chapter in a conflict that has been ongoing since late February 2026, when the US and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran under Operation Epic Fury. A nominally active ceasefire has been repeatedly violated by both sides in the months since, with the Strait of Hormuz remaining a primary theatre of confrontation.
ALSO READ: 'Strikes On Iran Will Be Very Strong, Powerful': Trump As US Responds To Helicopter Downing
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