President Donald Trump said Iran shot down a U.S. Army helicopter patrolling the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran’s top diplomat said foreign forces near its territory “are at constant risk” but did not mention any role in downing the Apache.
Kuwait’s military said this morning that it had intercepted “hostile aerial targets” as Iran launched attacks targeting U.S. sites in the region in response to American strikes.
“The General Staff of the Kuwaiti Army announces that Kuwaiti air defense systems are currently intercepting hostile aerial targets in accordance with approved operational procedures,” the military said in a post on X this morning.
It urged residents to follow security and safety instructions issued by authorities and to obtain updates from official sources.
China is “deeply concerned about the current situation in Iran,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said today before he called for a diplomatic resolution of the dispute.
All parties should “remain calm and exercise restraint,” he told reporters at a regular news briefing, adding that they should “stop escalating tensions.”
Iran will “need to assess the situation” after overnight U.S. strikes before it can move forward with peace talks, the country’s foreign ministry spokesperson said today.
“Diplomacy does not occur in a vacuum,” Esmail Baghaei told the the hard-line Student News Network, before accusing the U.S. of harming the diplomatic process “through contradictory messages, repeated shifts in its positions and demands and continual violations” of its ceasefire with Tehran.
He also accused Israel of “undermining the process” through its ramped up military operations in Lebanon. Israel has said it is rooting out the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group based in its northern neighbor.
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Tyre, Lebanon yesterday. Kwant Haju / AFP via Getty Images
Baghaei said that in order to move forward with any negotiations, there must be “at least a minimal environment in which diplomacy can function.”
Two water storage tanks were hit by U.S. strikes launched in response to the downing of an American military helicopter, Iran has said.
In a statement posted on X this morning, Iran’s consulate in Mumbai said the strikes on Sirik County, in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province had cut off access to drinking water for local residents.
“Targeting civilian water infrastructure raises serious humanitarian concerns,” it said.
In separate comments Abdolhamid Hamzehpour, the CEO of Hormozgan Province Water and Wastewater Company, said that critical water distribution infrastructure in Sirik County had been “targeted,” including two reservoirs key to supplying drinking water to the county.
He told the state-run IRIB news agency that teams were working to implement alternative measures to ensure a stable water supply.
Bahrain’s military said this morning it had “confronted, intercepted and destroyed” a number of aerial attacks from Iran.
Calling the attacks “heinous,” the General Command of the Bahrain Defence Force said in a post on X that Iran had continued “its systematic hostile approach” using missiles and drones to attack Bahrain.
It said that its own weapons and military units were “at the highest levels of readiness and are on high alert to protect the Kingdom.”
No injuries were reported in connection with the attacks.
The Israeli military issued fresh evacuation warnings in southern Lebanon this morning, ordering residents of the villages of Ghassaniyeh and Houmine al-Faouqa to flee the area.
The Israel Defense Forces did not give a clear reason for targeting the two villages, but said that it had been “compelled to act” against Hezbollah.
“To ensure your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and stay away from the villages and towns for a distance of no less than 1000 meters to open areas,” it warned residents.
The two villages are the latest areas to be evacuated following a ramping up of Israeli operations in southern Lebanon.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the U.S.’s military strikes this morning, accusing Washington of using the downed Apache helicopter “as a pretext” to launch the attacks.
The foreign ministry said it believed the attacks were a “flagrant violation” of the U.N. charter, adding that Iranian armed forces struck U.S. bases and assets in the region in response.
It comes after the U.S. launched strikes on Iran after Trump accused Tehran of shooting down a military helicopter, with both soldiers onboard rescued by unmanned boats.
Iran has not taken responsibility for the incident. Its foreign ministry said Tehran would “not hesitate to exercise its inherent right of self-defence, including by targeting the origin of attacks and bases and logistical facilities used to support operations against Iran.”
A cargo vessel has reported exchanging fire with an armed craft off the Yemen coast, the British military has said.
The incident unfolded southwest of Balhaf, Yemen, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre, an organization run by the Royal Navy that helps protect commercial shipping in high-risk areas. It said the cargo vessel reported being approached by a craft with at least six armed people onboard before an exchange of fire broke out.
The craft ultimately turned away, it said, adding that authorities were still investigating the matter. As of early today, there were no reports of injuries related to the incident.
The UKMTO noted that vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity.
Iranian forces have targeted “a number” of American bases in the Middle East in response to U.S. strikes after Trump said a military aircraft had been downed by Iran, Khatam al-Anbiya, the operational headquarters of the IRGC said this morning.
IRGC footage claims to show missiles fired at U.S. military bases, in this still image taken from a video released today. WANA / via Reuters
Khatam al-Anbiya said it had launched the attacks “in response to the aggression of America’s terrorist military against areas in southern Iran under the false pretext of its helicopter crash.” As of this morning, Iran had not claimed responsibility for shooting down the helicopter.
Khatam al-Anbiya vowed that there would be further “devastating and more wide ranging strikes” to follow if the U.S. continued to attack Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi did say Tuesday in a post on X that U.S. forces are putting themselves at risk by being in the region, but he did not mention any Iranian role in downing the helicopter.
Kuwait’s army said on X that “air defense systems are currently engaging hostile aerial targets.”
The Revolutionary Guard launched drones at the Ali Al-Salem base in Kuwait a short time ago, according to Iranian state TV.
The Revolutionary Guard said in a statement that its naval forces had carried out 21 attacks against “America’s air and naval bases in the region” and shot down an MQ-9 Reaper drone over the city of Jam, according to the state-owned IRIB news agency.
The Guard also said in the statement that it used long-range missiles to target F-35 jet hangers at the Al Azraq military base in Jordan.
The Revolutionary Guard fired rockets at the Al Azraq base in Jordan, the semiofficial Fars new agency reported on Telegram.
“The Revolutionary Guards minutes ago fired rockets at the Al Azraq American base in Jordan,” it said.
Bahrain’s Interior Ministry told people on social media to seek shelter.
“The siren has been sounded. Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place,” it said.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said a short while ago that it had launched drones at the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.
U.S. Central Command said minutes ago that the strikes against Iran in response to a downed helicopter are over.
An image shared to X by CENTCOM yesterday, illustrating a post on the Iran strikes statement. @CENTCOM / X
“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,” it said in a statement.
“The operation was a proportional response to recent attacks on U.S. forces and international commercial ships transiting regional waters,” CENTCOM said.
“U.S. forces remain vigilant and postured to defend against unjustified Iranian aggression,” it said.
Iran has launched drones at U.S. military targets in Bahrain and Kuwait in retaliation for U.S. attacks on Iran today, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said, according to state TV.
“Early this morning, the war-mongering American regime attacked several points in Jask, Sirik, and Qeshm under false pretenses, damaging a telecommunications tower in Sirik and destroying two water tanks in the Bemani district of the city,” the Revolutionary Guard said in a statement. “In response to this evil move by the enemy, the fighters of the Revolutionary Guards Navy launched a drone attack on the Fifth Naval Fleet in Bahrain and the Ali Al-Salem base in Kuwait at 2:30 a.m.”
Clashes continue, the Guard said in the statement, and it said that if the U.S. attacks continue, “heavier responses are on the way.”
Explosions have been heard on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, the semiofficial Mehr news agency reported.
“The sound of explosions have been heard on Qeshm Island several times,” the agency posted on Telegram. “Before this, the sound of explosions were heard in Bandar Abbas, Sirik and Jask.”
A second wave of attacks was carried out on Jask, a city on Iran’s southern coast near the Strait of Hormuz, according to the semiofficial Mehr news agency.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said this afternoon that he was notified before about today’s strikes in Iran, which he called “proportional and limited.”
Johnson said the strikes were “against unjustified Iranian aggression” and “targeted strikes to their radar, missile and command and control sites.”
Iranian state television IRIB reported that two water reservoirs in the Bemani district near the Strait of Hormuz were struck, disrupting drinking water.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said after the U.S. attacks today that Iran will not leave any attack “unanswered.”
“Despite its defeats on the battlefield, the U.S. opted to test our determination. Our Powerful Armed Forces will leave no attack or threat unanswered,” Araghchi wrote on X. “Leave our region if you want to be safe. History of the Persian Gulf has many chapters on dire fates of intruding outsiders.”
Senators briefed by the commander of U.S. Central Command were left with the impression that an Iranian drone struck the U.S. Apache helicopter lost off Oman, some of them told NBC News.
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., who left the briefing early, said it was intentional.
“They still have some missiles and launchers and drones left, and I think they’re trying to show us that they’re the tough guys,” he said.
The classified briefing was held with senators tasked with appropriating funds for the Defense Department this afternoon. The CENTCOM commander, Adm. Brad Cooper, briefed senators for around 90 minutes.
The Iranian semiofficial Mehr news agency reported that Jask and Kouhe Mobarakeh have been struck by “enemy” projectiles.
The strikes against Iran today follow the shooting down of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter overnight, according to Trump and the military.
The Army AH-64 Apache went down at 7:33 p.m. ET yesterday while it was patrolling regional waters near the coast of Oman, U.S. Central Command has said.
The two crewmembers were safely rescued and were stable, Central Command said in a statement. It said the cause of the incident was under investigation.
Trump said on social media today that the helicopter, was shot down and he vowed retaliation.
“I have just been informed by our Great Military that last night the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache Helicopters while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump said in the post.
Trump added that “the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack.”
Iranian state television reported that a strike by a projectile in Sirik “has been confirmed but the exact location has not been determined.”
Sirik is in southern Iran along the Strait of Hormuz.
“Some sources report hearing explosions and air defense activity in Bandar Abbas, Qeshm and Sirik,” state television said.
U.S. Central Command said today that new attacks had been launched against Iran in retaliation for the downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter.
Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Amirhosein Khorgooi / via Reuters
“U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces began launching self-defense strikes against Iran at 5 p.m. ET today at the Commander in Chief’s direction, in response to yesterday’s downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter. The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression,” CENTCOM wrote on X.
NBC News
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