President Trump directed the U.S. to begin new “self-defense strikes” on Iran Tuesday, in response to Iran downing a U.S. helicopter on Monday.
“The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression,” U.S. Central Command wrote on social media.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces began launching self-defense strikes against Iran at 5 p.m. ET today at the Commander in Chief’s direction, in response to yesterday’s downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter. The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian…
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 9, 2026
President Trump vowed to retaliate after claiming Iran shot down a U.S. military helicopter patrolling near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.
“There were two pilots involved. Both are safe and uninjured,” Trump said in a post about their rescue.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
