On the night of June 10, the United States launched a military operation against Iran. According to the US side, the strikes were in response to the downing of an Apache helicopter by Iranian forces.
This was reported by the US Central Command (CENTCOM), as well as The New York Times and ABC News.
The CENTCOM statement noted that the attack was launched on the orders of US President Donald Trump.
"Today at 5:00 pm Eastern Time, U.S. Central Command forces, at the direction of the commander in chief, began conducting self-defense strikes against Iran in response to yesterday's downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter," the statement said.
The command called its actions a response to "unprovoked Iranian aggression."
According to The New York Times, explosions and air raid sirens were heard in several areas along the Persian Gulf coast, including Bandar Abbas, as well as the islands of Qeshm and Sirik. It is reported that some facilities were hit by multiple waves of attacks.
Shortly before the official announcement of the start of the operation, U.S. President Donald Trump commented on the situation in an interview with ABC News.
"I think it's very important to respond. They shot down a helicopter, and we're responding right now. I think we need to respond strongly... This is a response to what they did to our helicopter last night, and I think the response should be very strong, very powerful," Trump said.
According to Axios journalist Barak Ravid, the US military attacked several Iranian air defense systems and radar complexes near the Strait of Hormuz.
At the same time, Fox News reported that the strikes continued after the first wave of attacks.
Subsequently, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced the launch of missiles and drones at American targets in the Middle East. However, as of this morning, information about the consequences of these attacks had not been confirmed by independent sources.
Iranian media also reported damage to two reservoirs in the south of the country as a result of American strikes. Meanwhile, CNN reported that a new wave of US attacks had begun.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said that Washington's actions will not go unanswered.
On the eve, Donald Trump reported that negotiations between the US and Iran on a possible agreement are in the final stage and could be completed in the coming days. However, a new round of hostilities has cast doubt on the prospects for a diplomatic settlement.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on June 8, an Apache attack helicopter of the US army was shot down by Iran near the Strait of Hormuz.
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