PANews reported on June 10 that, according to CCTV News, the U.S. Central Command stated that, under the direction of President Trump, the U.S. military launched a defensive strike against Iran at 5:00 PM Eastern Time in response to the downing of a U.S. Apache helicopter the previous day. The U.S. Central Command stated that this operation was a response to Iran’s “unprovoked act of aggression.” Early this morning (June 10) local time, explosions were heard in eastern Hormozgan province in southern Iran, including Qeshm Island, Sirik, and Minabu, triggering the activation of air defense systems.
US President Trump stated, “I think it’s very important to respond. They shot down a helicopter, and we are responding.” Trump added, “I’ve always believed in responding in a strong way. We had a very good agreement, and we likely still do. This action is a response to them shooting down our helicopter last night, and I think the response should be very strong, very powerful, and this action is exactly that.”
Later reports indicated that an Iraqi militia group claimed that an Iranian drone had flown over Iraqi airspace and launched an attack on U.S. targets.
