▲ U.S.-Iran Armed Conflict Resumes
The United States and Iran have resumed armed clashes, trading retaliatory strikes triggered by the downing of a U.S. Apache helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz.
Following U.S. airstrikes targeting Iranian military facilities and communication towers, Iran launched missiles at U.S. military bases across the Middle East.
The two sides, which had maintained a shaky ceasefire even after peace negotiations stalled, appear to have unleashed their largest exchange of firepower since the truce began.
Consequently, the region stands at a crossroads, with uncertainty over whether the clouds of war will thicken again or if the clashes will remain limited.
On June 9 (Eastern Time), U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on X (formerly Twitter) that "at the direction of the Commander in Chief (President Donald Trump), U.S. Central Command forces began launching self-defense strikes against Iran at 5 p.m. today (6 a.m. on June 10, KST)".
CENTCOM emphasized that "the mission is in response to yesterday's downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter" and called it a "proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression".
Earlier, President Trump claimed that the helicopter crash was caused by an Iranian attack, warning of retaliatory measures by stating, "the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack".
Immediately following CENTCOM's announcement, explosions were heard in the southern Iranian coastal city of Sirik, as well as Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's Mehr News Agency reported.
Mehr News Agency cited an official from the southern Minab region as saying that no attacks were confirmed in inland cities, and the explosions occurred in coastal areas bordering the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian officials told The New York Times (NYT) that U.S. forces targeted key military facilities, including Iranian artillery units and military bases.
Iran strongly protested the U.S. retaliatory strikes and immediately launched counter-retaliatory attacks.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X, "We will leave no attack or threat unanswered," adding, "Leave our region if you want to be safe. The history of the Persian Gulf is full of records of the miserable fate of foreign invaders".
Shortly after, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on its Telegram channel that it had launched missiles and drones at American targets in the region.
Iran has also denied responsibility for the downing of the U.S. helicopter.
According to the NYT, Iranian state television cited an anonymous military official denying responsibility, stating, "There have been no military operations in the Strait of Hormuz within the last 24 hours".
Following the initial strikes, the U.S. carried out second and third rounds of airstrikes, and the conflict intensified further as Iran responded by striking U.S. military bases in the Middle East.
U.S. forces conducted a second round of strikes targeting Iranian air defenses and radars on the evening of June 9, followed by a third round, U.S. online media outlet Axios reported, citing a senior U.S. official.
Explosions were heard again in Sirik, Bandar Abbas, and Qeshm Island.
According to Reuters, the IRGC stated that the U.S. airstrikes damaged a communication tower and two water tanks in the Sirik region.
In a statement released during the clashes, the IRGC warned, "If U.S. hostilities continue, we will take even stronger countermeasures."
According to Iranian media, the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, which oversees Iran's joint military operations, announced that it had struck several U.S. military bases in the Middle East in retaliation for the U.S. airstrikes.
The IRGC targeted the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet base in Bahrain and launched long-range missiles at four targets at the Al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan.
Iranian state media reported that the targets at Al-Azraq Air Base included F-35 fighter jet hangars and a command and control center.
Iranian attacks were also detected in Kuwait, which hosts a U.S. air base.
Kuwait activated its air defense systems in response to the Iranian retaliatory attacks, the Associated Press reported.
Bahrain also activated its air defenses and issued an evacuation order for residents.
After several hours of clashes, U.S. Central Command announced that the airstrikes had been completed.
CENTCOM posted another statement on its X account on June 9, stating that it had used precision-guided munitions from U.S. Air Force and Navy fighter jets to strike Iranian air defense facilities, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz.
The command explained that the operation was a proportional response to recent attacks on U.S. forces and international commercial ships transiting regional waters.
CENTCOM added, "U.S. forces remain vigilant and postured to defend against unjustified Iranian aggression".
President Trump was reportedly on a phone call with an ABC News reporter when CENTCOM launched the airstrikes, telling the reporter, "I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that's what this one is".
However, during the interview, Trump also repeated claims that a peace agreement with Iran was imminent, stating, "We have a very good agreement".
Consequently, some analysts suggest that the attacks by both sides may have been kept relatively limited in scale to avoid derailing the ongoing peace negotiations.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.