U.S. Strikes Iranian Air Defenses After Apache Helicopter Crash Near Strait of Hormuz; Cause Under Investigation

U.S. forces carried out strikes against Iran on Tuesday in retaliation for the downing of an Army AH-64 Apache helicopter the previous night. The helicopter went down near the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Oman while on patrol.

Central Command said the two pilots were rescued by a Task Force 59 unmanned surface vessel roughly two hours after the aircraft went down and were uninjured. President Donald Trump stated that Iranian forces shot down the helicopter. In a social media post, he wrote: "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.

Iranian military statements said IRGC Navy forces fired on the helicopter after it ignored warnings from a speedboat. The Pentagon has not confirmed whether Iranian fire caused the crash and says the cause remains under investigation. The strikes hit several Iranian air defense and radar systems around the Strait of Hormuz, Axios reported.

Iranian media said a series of explosions occurred along Iran’s southern coast near the strait and that the situation was now reported to be calm. S. strikes.

The helicopter incident occurred hours after President Trump said Washington and Tehran were in the final stages of a nuclear agreement expected within two or three days. President Trump also warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against further strikes on Lebanon. Israeli forces conducted airstrikes on Tyre on June 9 2026.