Overview
- CENTCOM said Tuesday that U.S. forces began precision self-defense strikes on southern Iranian coastal targets, describing the missions as a proportional response to the downing of an Army AH-64 Apache.
- The Apache crashed near the coast of Oman with both crew rescued alive, but U.S. commanders say the cause remains under formal investigation and have not publicly confirmed whether it was shot down.
- Iran reported retaliatory drone and missile attacks on U.S. bases in Bahrain and Jordan and activated regional air defenses, with Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan reporting intercepts and no confirmed U.S. casualties.
- Iranian state-linked sources said U.S. strikes hit sites in Jask, Sirik and Qeshm and damaged water storage that left roughly 20,000 people without potable water in a region where summer heat raises humanitarian danger.
- The exchange follows months of tension since February, risks wider disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and has prompted urgent warnings from mediators and the U.N. that diplomacy and a near-term agreement are in jeopardy.