US forces launched a second day of airstrikes on Wednesday in Iran as President Donald Trump pushed for a solution to end the months-long war.
US Central Command announced what it called “defensive strikes” against multiple targets without providing further details. The move followed attacks on radar and air defense sites a day earlier in response to the downing of an Army Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spent the day signaling military action to come after the downing of the helicopter.
The latest strikes also targeted defense and radar facilities near the Strait of Hormuz as well as drone command and control sites, according to a US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to share details that have not yet been made public.
The extent of any injuries was not immediately known.
“U.S. Central Command forces began launching additional defensive strikes today at 5:15 p.m. ET against multiple targets in Iran at the direction of the Commander in Chief,” CENTCOM.said on X. “The attacks are in response to Iran’s baseless aggression.”
Trump has repeatedly given the deadlines he set for himself to reach an agreement to end the war and in recent days he has used threatening words to discuss what he said was Iran’s refusal to accept US terms.
The latest operation marked an escalation of the biggest conflict over Iran’s nuclear program, its stockpile of enriched uranium and the status of the Strait of Hormuz, which has been at the center of the conflict – and whose closure has cut global energy supplies and sent petrol prices soaring.
The immediate catalyst for the recent rise was the downing of an Apache helicopter. Trump said military commanders informed him that Iran had shot down the plane. Both pilots on the plane survived and were rescued.
“America must, must, respond to this attack,” Trump wrote at the time.
In the following days, the US Central Command launched “similar” attacks on Iran’s radar, air defense and command and control facilities. But the administration’s rhetoric increasingly suggested broader military action remained under consideration.
By Wednesday, Hegseth was clearly signaling additional military action, saying the United States would hit “key targets” in Iran and warning that American forces “will be hitting Iran hard.”
