Iran and the United States have riddled their fragile ceasefire with missiles in the 14th week of the war.
President Donald Trump confirmed on Tuesday that the U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopter downed while patrolling the Strait of Hormuz on Monday had been shot down by Iranian forces. While the uninjured pilots were rescued, the president stressed that “the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack.”
‘US forces remain vigilant, lethal, and ready.’
Hours later, U.S. Central Command announced that it had begun launching “self-defense strikes,” which it characterized as a “proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression.”
Early Wednesday, Trump noted on Truth Social that “they’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!”
The president clarified later in the day that more American strikes were forthcoming.
“We hit them hard yesterday. We’re going to hit them again hard today, in case you miss it, in case you don’t turn on your television set, and we’ll see what happens with the deal,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
On Wednesday evening, CENTCOM launched another series of “self-defense” strikes, stating afterward that it had targeted “Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems, and air defense sites across Iran.”
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Ford Williams/U.S. Navy/Getty Images
Iranian media claimed, however, that among the structures damaged in the American strikes was a pair of water tanks in the south of the country with a combined capacity of 2.5 million liters — tanks said to have supplied water to tens of thousands of civilians. When asked by the New York Times about reports of damage to water facilities, CENTCOM declined to comment.
“U.S. Marine Corps, Air Force, and Navy assets fired precision munitions on Iranian targets that posed a threat to U.S. forces and international commercial ships transiting regional waters,” CENTCOM said in a statement. “The strikes are in response to Iran’s unwarranted and continued aggression. U.S. forces remain vigilant, lethal, and ready.”
According to Trey Yingst, an Israel-based Fox News reporter, Trump said that the U.S. fired at least 49 Tomahawk missiles into Iran and executed bombings via fighter jets, hitting targets as close as 40 miles outside Tehran. Trump also reportedly said that if the Iranians don’t sign the peace agreement, “we’ll bomb the s**t out of them.”
Iranian state media reported on Thursday that in retaliation for the American strikes, “18 important targets belonging to the U.S. military in the region were successfully hit during two operational waves following the recent aggression against Iranian territorial integrity.”
The Iranians maintain that their attacks constitute self-defense “as recognized under Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations.”
According to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the targets were located “at the Al-Salem and Ahmad al-Jaber air bases, as well as the Sheikh Isa air base.”
Citing an unnamed military official, Jordanian state media reported that 20 missiles had been intercepted and neutralized by the country’s air defense systems, adding there had been no human casualties or material damage.
Iranian drones and “hostile aerial targets” were reportedly intercepted over Bahrain and Kuwait.
While Iranian media also claimed that the Strait of Hormuz had been completely closed in response to the American strikes, CENTCOM stated on Wednesday evening that “commercial ships are continuing to transit in and out of the Strait of Hormuz.”
Trump emphasized on Wednesday that “the UNITED STATES of AMERICA CONTROLS the Strait of Hormuz — NOT Iran.”
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