Overview
- A U.S. Army AH-64 Apache fell near the coast of Oman and both crew members were rescued alive after the Monday incident that Washington has publicly blamed on Iran.
- Hours after the downing, U.S. Central Command said U.S. forces began precision self‑defense strikes at 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday against Iranian air‑defense systems, ground control stations and surveillance radars near the Strait of Hormuz.
- CENTCOM later announced it had finished the initial strikes, but multiple outlets reported additional U.S. attacks the following day and Iran reported launching missile and drone strikes on U.S. bases in Bahrain, Jordan and other regional sites.
- Iranian state media and local officials reported explosions in Hormozgan province and said U.S. strikes struck water infrastructure, leaving tens of thousands temporarily without potable water, though independent verification of damage and casualty counts is limited.
- The exchange has raised the risk to ongoing U.S.–Iran negotiations and the fragile ceasefire, threatened regional security around the global energy chokepoint at the Strait of Hormuz, and drawn international calls for de‑escalation.