US forces launched retaliatory strikes on Tuesday against Iran following the downing of an Apache helicopter gunship near the Strait of Hormuz as President Donald Trump struggled to reach an agreement to end the war.
The US Central Command disclosed the strikesocial media postwhich did not provide any details on the objectives or scale of the planned operation.
“The mission is a proportionate response to Iran’s unprovoked aggression,” CENTCOM said.
Trump posted a military response on social media Monday night following news that Iran had shot down a US helicopter. Both pilots survived the attack and were found.
“However, the United States must, must, respond to this attack,” the president wroteon Social Reality.
Trumphe told ABC Newswith the strikes being declared “very important” for the US to respond to the downing of the helicopter under cloudy conditions.
“This is a response to what they did with our helicopter last night, and I believe the response should be very big, very strong, and that’s what this is,” he said.
A military response risks escalating the three-month war between the United States and Iran into a warThe Trump administration is following the resolution. It is unclear how the peace talks will be affected, but the president has expressed optimism about the chances of reaching an agreement.
Trump told reporters Monday in New York that he believesplan to end the warit can be reached “in two or three days,” although he has made similar statements in the past.
The Iranian government has indicated that it expects to match any US escalation. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of Parliament,he issued a dire warningfor the United States and Israel.
“We prefer the language of diplomacy, but we speak other languages more fluently,” Ghalibaf said. “Break your promises, and we’ll change what we’re talking about better.”
