Donald Trump Tehran launched retaliatory strikes against Iran on Wednesday after it shot down a U.S. Apache helicopter near the troubled Strait of Hormuz. As the situation escalated, the United States launched a large-scale military operation against Iran – “Operation Epic Fury”, which caused tension in the Middle East for several months.The U.S. military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said the U.S. military targeted Iranian air defense systems, ground control stations and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. Air Force and Navy fighter jets carried out the strikes using precision-guided weapons.The military operation is under the command of Commander-in-Chief Donald Trump.Video circulating online appeared to show a U.S. airstrike on a site in Iran, triggering a huge explosion that lit up the night sky.According to Al Jazeera, explosions were heard in the Iranian cities of Jask and Bandar Abbas.Trump had previously warned Iran of retaliation after the helicopter was shot down. He later tried to downplay the incident, saying it was “no big deal” because the pilots survived. Meanwhile, Iranian state media quoted military sources as saying that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) vowed to provide a “decisive response” to “the enemy’s resumption of hostilities under the pretext of the helicopter crash.”Tehran has promised retaliation, raising new doubts about efforts to secure a permanent ceasefire in the conflict. The war has disrupted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and pushed up global energy prices. Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, also sounded a missile alert after Iran claimed it was targeting the island nation in response.The U.S. military said the attack focused on “air defense, ground control and surveillance radar sites.” Iran confirmed attacks near Bandar Bandar Bandar and Qeshm Island but gave no details on the extent of the damage.“This operation was a response to recent attacks on U.S. forces and international commercial vessels transiting the region’s waters,” Central Command said.Trump earlier wrote on social media that Iran shot down the helicopter while patrolling the Strait of Hormuz and said the United States “must respond to this attack if necessary.”Iran’s top diplomat warned that foreign forces operating near Iranian territory are “always at risk” and later pledged to respond to the latest U.S. attack.“No attack or threat will be ignored,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X. He added, “If you want to be safe, leave our region.”The downing of an Apache helicopter and subsequent U.S. attacks further exacerbated the two-month ceasefire. The development came a day after Iran and Israel exchanged fire for the first time since their fragile truce came into effect. Iranian state television reported that an Israeli attack on Tuesday killed at least two members of the country’s air defense force.Since the United States and Israel began attacking Iran on February 28, the conflict has rocked the global economy, driving up energy prices and increasing the cost of many necessities, including food.Efforts to turn April’s ceasefire into a permanent peace deal have so far failed, especially as Israel continues and expands its military campaign against Iran-backed forces in Lebanon. Hezbollah militia.
