US strikes Iran in response to downing of military helicopter

The US says it has carried out a series of strikes on Iranian military and surveillance sites in response to the downing of an American helicopter in the Gulf.

Air defence systems, ground control stations and radar sites were targeted near the Strait of Hormuz, the US military Central Command (Centcom) said.

In response, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it launched strikes on 21 targets at US bases in the region, one in Bahrain and the other in Jordan, while Kuwait's army said it was also intercepting an attack.

The US has described its strikes as "a proportional response" for the Apache helicopter downing on Monday, while the IRGC described the attacks as "vicious".

Centcom earlier said two crew members from the helicopter were rescued by an American sea drone. It was the first time the US military publicly confirmed that type of vessel was used in such an operation.

According to US officials, Iran used a drone to launch the attack on the helicopter. But it is not clear whether the Iranian drone had deliberately attacked, an unnamed US official told CBS News, the BBC's US partner. The semi-official Mehr News Agency reported that Iran had not claimed responsibility for the downed aircraft.

In response, Centcom said US fighter jets "struck Iranian air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz".

The IRGC said US strikes had damaged a telecommunications tower and two water tanks.

Iran said the US had targeted the cities of Jask and Sirik, and Qeshem - an island in the Gulf.

Centcom released the statement saying the mission was "completed" just over three hours after it announced an initial wave of strikes triggered by the downing of the US helicopter on Monday.

US President Donald Trump said earlier on Tuesday the downed helicopter had been patrolling the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping channel that was effectively closed days after the US launched its first strikes on Iran in late February.

"There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack."

In Washington, US House Speaker Mike Johnson said he was in the room with Trump when he decided that US attacks on Iran should resume.

"We lament that it became necessary," said the top Republican in Congress, adding that "we're going to have to take care of this business".

Iran's foreign minister issued a threat to the US in the aftermath of the renewed US attacks, saying the country "will leave no attack or threat u