President Trump hinted at the strikes earlier on Tuesday when he wrote in a post on Truth Social that Iran downed the Apache crew near the coast of Oman.
The U.S. military began launching "self-defense" strikes versus Iran at 5 p.m. ET at Trump's direction, according to the U.S. Central Command.
"The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression," Centcom said in a statement.
The U.S. forces targeted several Iranian air defense and radar systems near the Strait of Hormuz, multiple news outlets reported on Tuesday.
An AH-64 Apache helicopter went down on Monday evening near the coast of Oman while patrolling the regional waters and the two crew members were rescued by the U.S. military using an unmanned Navy drone vessel within two hours, according to military officials.
Both are in stable condition.
The U.S. and Iran have engaged in tit-for-tat military strikes in recent days, raising questions about the viability of the fragile ceasefire between the two countries that has been in place since early April.
The strikes come as Trump has pushed for a deal with Tehran to end the war in the Middle East, as the conflict has surpassed the 100-day mark.
Read the full report at thehill.com.
