DUBAI — The United States has launched multiple waves of air strikes on Iran prompting retaliation from Tehran, after President Donald Trump blamed the Islamic Republic for a US military helicopter crash off the Strait of Hormuz early Tuesday.The Associated Press reported that the Apache helicopter that crashed went down after colliding with an Iranian drone, but it was not clear whether the collision was intentional.According to US officials, Iran used a drone to launch the attack on the helicopter. But it's not clear whether the Iranian drone had deliberately attacked, an unnamed US official told CBS News. Iran's semi-official Mehr News Agency reported that Tehran had not claimed responsibility for the downed aircraft.The US military said its attacks began at 22:00 GMT on Tuesday and ended just before 01:00 GMT on Wednesday.After more than three hours of military action, US Central Command said strikes were “completed”, adding that the US remained ready to defend against “unjustified Iranian aggression.”Soon after, Iran launched retaliatory attacks against the US, according to the countries state media, which said American bases in the region and the US fifth fleet in Bahrain were targeted with drones.Kuwait and Bahrain issued air raid alerts and reported that air defences were active in repelling attacks. Iran also claimed it had targeted a US base in Jordan with long range missiles.The US military said it began strikes against Iran following the crash of a US Army Apache helicopter off the coast of Oman.In a statement posted to social media, US Central Command said the strikes would be “a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression.”“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 wrote in a social media post.He said the two US pilots involved in the incident were both safe and uninjured. “Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack,” he added.In Washington, US House Speaker Mike Johnson said he was in the room with Trump when he decided that US attacks on Iran should resume."We lament that it became necessary," said the top Republican in Congress, adding that "we're gonna have to take care of this business".On Monday, Israel and Iran said they would halt attacks on each other after an appeal by Trump to end their first direct exchanges of fire since April, but Tehran warned it would resume hostilities if Israel continued to attack its ally Hezbollah in Lebanon.Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the military will not leave attacks or threats unanswered.“Despite its defeats on the battlefield, the US opted to test our determination. Our Powerful Armed Forces will leave no attack or threat unanswered. Leave our region if you want to be safe,” Araghchi posted on X after the US attacks, which President Donald Trump described as retaliation for the downed helicopter.A US Navy surface drone found and rescued the two crew members from the Apache attack helicopter that went down in waters near Oman’s coast, the US military told Reuters.The US military’s Central Command said the AH-64 Apache went down at around 3 am local time on Tuesday (2300 GMT on Monday).The drone that carried out the rescue was a US Navy Corsair, which manufacturer Saronic says on its website is a 24-foot (7.3-meter) autonomous surface vessel (ASV) capable of carrying up to 1,000 lbs (454 kg) over 1,000 nautical miles.“The drone picked them up and transported them to another location on the water where they were hoisted up to a helicopter for further transport,” said Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a Central Command spokesperson.Hawkins said the drone was chosen for the mission due to its proximity and capability.The US 5th Fleet’s Task Force 59, which operates in the region, is a dedicated unit for integrating unmanned systems and artificial intelligence with everyday maritime operations.Speaking earlier at John F. Kennedy International Airport before returning to Washington, Trump said there was “nobody injured.”But US Central Command used more cautious language to describe the condition of the two, saying they were in stable condition.“The soldiers were safely rescued within approximately two hours and are in stable condition. The cause of the incident is under investigation,” it said in a statement.
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