U.S. strikes Iranian defense sites after helicopter downing

U.S. forces carried out strikes on Iranian defense systems after an American helicopter was downed over the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes targeted radar installations and military facilities along the Iranian coastline near the strait, officials said.

Firas Maksad, managing director of the Middle East and North Africa at Eurasia Group, said the events represent a tit-for-tat exchange. "I don't think that there is an immediate risk of this war really starting up again," he said.

the operation Maksad described the targets as radar sites and military facilities along the Iranian coastline around the Strait of Hormuz. "This is a managed conflict. Both sides don't want to see the return to all-out hostilities as we had last month," he said.

" Iranian leaders view the current U.S. approach as one of economic pressure rather than immediate escalation, he said. "What's clear is that President Trump is not in a hurry as he pursues this strategy of economic strangulation, letting the blockade set in," Maksad said.

The same statement noted that Iranian officials are playing a long game, hoping to test American patience. Asia-Pacific equity markets opened lower following the news, with the Nikkei 225 falling 0.8 percent and the KOSPI declining 1.7 percent.