U.S. says it has begun strikes against Iran following crash of Army Apache helicopter off Oman coast

The U.S. military said on Tuesday (June 9, 2026) it has begun strikes against Iran following the crash of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter off the coast of Oman that U.S. President Donald Trump blamed on the Islamic Republic.

In a statement posted to social media, U.S. Central Command said the strikes would be “a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression”. It comes after Mr. Trump blamed Iran for downing the helicopter and vowed that the U.S. would respond.

Iranian state media reported that explosions were heard on an Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz.

Mr. Trump had blamed Iran for shooting down a helicopter close to the Strait of Hormuz and said the United States must respond. Iran’s top diplomat said foreign military forces near the country’s territory “are at constant risk”.

Araghchi’s warning to Trump’s accusation

The U.S. Army Apache helicopter that crashed off the coast of Oman went down after colliding with an Iranian drone, according a U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

It is not clear whether the collision was intentional, and official statements only said the crash is under investigation. CNN, CBS News and other outlets earlier reported the Iranian drone collision.

President Donald Trump said Iran shot down the aircraft while it was on patrol over the Strait of Hormuz and declared that the U.S. “must, of necessity, respond to this attack”, in a post to social media.

The U.S. military later announced that it had begun strikes against Iran. Iranian state media is reporting that explosions have been heard on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz.

In the first known operation of its kind by the American military, a drone boat rescued the two aviators who were aboard the Apache attack helicopter when it went down near the critical shipping lane that Iran has effectively closed during its war with the U.S. and Israel.

Soon after Mr. Trump made his accusation, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said in a social media post that the strait is “thousands of miles away from U.S. shores”.

“Foreign forces in proximity to our territory are at constant risk on account of their own human errors, plain accidents, or potentially being caught in crossfire,” Mr. Araghchi wrote. “To reduce risk, best solution is for them to leave.”