U.S. Military Launches Airstrikes on Iran in 'Self-Defense' Following Helicopter Shootdown

The U.S. military announced on June 9 (local time) that it has launched attacks against Iran in an act of "self-defense."

U.S. Central Command stated on its X (formerly Twitter) account that "under the direction of the Commander-in-Chief (President Donald Trump), we initiated defensive strikes against Iran starting at 5:00 p.m. today (Eastern Time; 6:00 a.m. KST on June 10)."

Central Command emphasized that this operation is "a response to the shootdown of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter yesterday," adding that "this action is a proportional response to Iran's unjustifiable acts of aggression."

The U.S. Army Apache helicopter was reportedly shot down by an Iranian drone attack while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz on the night of June 8.

The two pilots were safely rescued.

President Donald Trump subsequently hinted at retaliatory measures on the social media platform Truth Social, stating, "The United States must inevitably respond to this attack."

Following President Trump's social media post, Iranian state media, citing an Iranian source, reported that if the U.S. resumes hostile acts using the helicopter crash as a pretext, Iran will respond decisively.

If Iran launches a counterattack, the level of military conflict between the U.S. and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz is expected to escalate, putting the ceasefire that began in early April to the test once again.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.