Iran retaliates to US strikes after attacks over Apache chopper downing
PTC News Desk: The United States has carried out strikes on Iran after Iranian forces reportedly shot down a US Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz, raising fears of a broader military confrontation even as President Donald Trump continues efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict. US officials said the attacks targeted multiple Iranian air defence and radar installations around the strategic waterway, prompting Tehran to vow that no "attack or threat" would go unanswered.
According to reports , explosions were heard in the Iranian cities of Jask and Bandar Abbas, although the full extent of the damage remains unclear. Iran's Tasnim news agency also reported blasts on Qeshm Island, the latest in a series of explosions across the region. Similar incidents had earlier been reported in other parts of southern Iran, including Sirik.
Axios, citing US officials, said American forces carried out three separate waves of strikes, focusing primarily on air defence systems and radar facilities. However, Iran's Fars news agency claimed that two water tanks in Sirik's Bemani district were also hit and destroyed during the attacks.
Reacting to the strikes, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused Washington of testing Iran's resolve and warned that the country's armed forces would respond firmly to any aggression. "Leave our region if you want to be safe," he said.
Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it retaliated by launching a drone attack targeting the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. The IRGC said fighting remains ongoing and warned of stronger countermeasures if what it called US military aggression continues.
The IRGC also confirmed that US strikes hit several locations in southern Iran, including Jask, Sirik and Qeshm Island, damaging a telecommunications tower and destroying two water tanks in Sirik's Bemani district.
- With inputs from agencies
