Iran latest: US retaliatory strikes on Iran end, CENTCOM details attacks

The U.S. military struck Iranian targets early Thursday morning in response to the downing of one of its Apache helicopters. 

According to U.S. Central Command, the strikes were on the orders of President Donald Trump and commenced at 5 p.m. Eastern Time, which would be 1 a.m. in Iran.

Earlier in the day, Trump blamed Iran for the helicopter crash and confirmed that the two pilots were not injured. In his post, the president said the U.S. needed to and would respond to the incident.

Here’s the latest:

US retaliatory strikes on Iran end

9:14 p.m. ET: Just over four hours after the United States launched retaliatory attacks against Iran for the downing of an Apache helicopter, its forces have wrapped up their operation.

U.S. Central Command announced shortly after 9 p.m. that the strikes ordered by President Donald Trump were completed.

Navy and Air Force jets targeted Iranian air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command said while describing the assault as proportional to Iran's attacks on U.S. forces and commercial ships trying to pass through regional waters.

Helicopter crashed after colliding with Iranian drone: official

6:05 p.m. ET: The crash of a U.S. Army helicopter off the coast of Oman happened after it collided with an Iranian drone, a U.S. official told the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.

The Associated Press report indicated that it was not clear if that collision was intentional. Earlier Tuesday, President Donald Trump stated that Iran had "shot down" the helicopter and warned that the U.S. would respond.

At 5 p.m. ET, the U.S. Central Command announced that retaliatory strikes against Iran were underway and described them as self-defense.

Explosions heard on Iranian island

6:00 p.m. ET: Explosions were heard on an Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz, according to state media in Iran. 

The reports come shortly after the U.S. military confirmed launching strikes on Iranian targets that were in response to the recent downing of an Apache helicopter. 

US begins retaliatory strikes on Iran

5:39 p.m. ET: U.S. forces launched strikes on Iranian targets, calling the actions self-defense and in response to the downing of an Apache helicopter.

The attacks began at 5 p.m., which corresponds to 1 a.m. on Wednesday, and were on the orders of President Donald Trump, U.S. Central Command reported. Earlier in the day, Trump warned that U.S. forces would respond to Iran shooting down the helicopter.

"The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression," CENTCOM wrote in a social media post. 

US to retaliate after Iran downs chopper

12:45 p.m. ET: President Trump posted to social media that the military confirmed to him that an Apache helicopter that crashed near the Strait of Hormuz, was shot down by Iranian forces.

Trump promised a retaliatory attack in the Truth Social post.

Trump suggests negotiations could be clear in 'one or two days'

10:24 a.m. ET: President Trump spoke with media at John F. Kennedy airport about negotiations with Iran, the blockade and the two soldiers that crashed in the Apache helicopter. 

Apache chopper crashes near Strait of Hormuz

6:32 a.m. ET: A U.S. Army Apache AH-64 attack helicopter crashed Monday near the Strait of Hormuz, according to U.S. Central Command. 

The chopper was patrolling the regional waters near Oman when it went down. Two soldiers were safely rescued by American military forces within a couple of of hours. 

President Trump spoke with reporters late Monday and confirmed the soldiers were not injured in the incident. 

"The pilots are fine. Yeah," Trump said. "Nobody injured. We are going to issue a report tomorrow. But the pilots are fine."

The cause of the crash was not released at this time. 

 

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