Iran war live: US launches strikes on Iran after Tehran downs Apache helicopter

Iran war live: US launches strikes on Iran after Tehran downs Apache helicopter The US launched strikes against Iran after the country shot down an American army helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz, but Trump insisted a peace deal would be reached soon US forces have begun launching strikes on Iran after Tehran shot down a US Apache helicopter near the coast of Oman. Donald Trump earlier vowed to retaliate "immediately" to the downing of the aircraft, which happened yesterday as it was patrolling the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command spokesperson Captain Timothy Hawkins said the crew were rescued by a sea drone after being found in the water. Meanwhile, Trump insists a deal with Iran could be reached in "two or three days". He said: "We're very close to having a very, very good, strong, powerful deal. If we go and bomb - which we could do very easily if we want, and we spend another two or three weeks bombing - they’ll have nothing left whatsoever. But you won’t have the strait open for months." Key Events The Jordanian military has said its air defence systems intercepted and shot down five missiles launched from Iran. It added that the missiles were targeting the Al-Azraq area in the Zarqa province. Israeli nationals have reportedly set fire to fields in the predominantly Christian town of Taybeh in the West Bank, Palestinian news outlets are reporting. Air defence systems in Kuwait are "currently intercepting hostile aerial targets", the army's General Staff said. The army urged residents to "adhere to the security and safety instructions and guidelines issued by the competent authorities, and to obtain information from authorised official sources". The Ministry of Interior of the Kingdom of Bahrain has said in a post on X, "The alarm siren has been activated. We urge citizens and residents to remain calm, head to the nearest safe location, and follow updates through official channels." The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has issued a statement saying forces completed self-defense strikes against Iran on June 9, in response to yesterday’s downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter. The statement reads: U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces completed self-defense strikes against Iran, June 9, at the Commander in Chief’s direction in response to yesterday’s downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter. CENTCOM forces struck Iranian air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz with precision munitions from U.S. Air Force and Navy fighter jets. The operation was a proportional response to recent attacks on U.S. forces and international commercial ships transiting regional waters. U.S. forces remain vigilant and postured to defend against unjustified Iranian aggression. Explosions have been heard again on Qeshm Island, Iran's Tasnim news agency reports. Explosions had previously been heard across other locations in southern Iran, including Bandar Abbas, Sirik, and Jask, the Mehr news agency reports Iran's football federation has said that the US has revoked its allocation of tickets for its team's World Cup group matches. The federation also accussed the cohosts of obstructing the attendance of Iranian supporters, AFP reported. "With less than three days remaining until the start of the 2026 World Cup … the United States has once again acted to obstruct the presence of Iranian supporters at the stadiums hosting the national team's three group stage matches," the federation said in a statement. Iranian media outlets say Iranian forces did not deliberately target the helicopter. A US official has told CBS News that it is not yet clear whether the aircraft was deliberately attacked. Explosions have been heard in eastern areas of Iran’s Hormozgan province, including Kuhistak, Sirik and Minab, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency. Hormozgan province is located in southern Iran along the coast of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency is reporting that residents in Sirik Port, on the southern coast of Iran, and surrounding villages have heard multiple explosions in the area. US Central Command (CENTCOM) has said its forces "began launching self-defense strikes against Iran" at 5pm EST (10pm BST). It added that the attacks were carried out in response to "yesterday’s downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter". "The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression," CENTCOM said in a post on X. Israel has carried out a series of air raids in southern Lebanon, targeting the towns of Touline, Srifa, Kafra, Deir Kifa, Majdal Zoun and Yatar, according to Lebanon's National News Agency. There has been artillery shelling in multiple villages in the western part of the Tyre district, the news agency reported. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Donald Trump has said Iran's downing of a US helicopter "wasn’t a big deal". "The pilot is fine," Trump said, adding that the details of the incident are "much different than you think". Earlier, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that the "United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack". Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has warned that "foreign forces in proximity to our territory are at constant risk on account of their own human errors, plain accidents, or potentially being caught in crossfire." He added: "To reduce risk, best solution is for them to leave. We prefer language of diplomacy but speak other languages too." It comes after Donald Trump said on Truth Social earlier today that "the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache Helicopters while patrolling over the strait of Hormuz" last night. The US president added that the "United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack." The secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has said he is "increasingly concerned" by reports that vessels continue to attempt to transit the Strait of Hormuz "without any credible security guarantees". Arsenio Dominguez said in a statement: "My primary concern is for the safety and lives of the seafarers being placed in these situations. They must not be exposed to conditions where the risks are known, significant, and clearly beyond mitigation. The current situation remains highly volatile, with no reliable security assurances in place. Under such circumstances, safe passage cannot be considered to exist." Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, has warned in a post on X that while Iran prefers "the language of diplomacy", it will switch to the language it speaks "best" if the US breaks its commitments. Ghalibaf, the top Iranian negotiator in talks involving Iran and the US, did not explicitly mention the US. Donald Trump has written in a Truth Social post: "I have just been informed by our Great Military that last night the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache Helicopters while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz. There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP" UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said he is "deeply alarmed" by the renewed strikes in the Middle East. He called for an immediate end to the attacks and urged parties to fully respect the ceasefires in Lebanon, Iran and Gaza. "There is no military solution to the conflicts in the Middle East," Guterres said. "The only way forward is through dialogue & negotiations. I urge all concerned to work towards diplomatic solutions that advance regional & international peace & security." Meanwhile, Christian leaders in the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre have called on the international community and Lebanese authorities to act quickly to prevent Israeli strikes on the city's Christian district. The Israeli military has issued an evacuation warning for Tyre, including the Christian quarter, which has so far been spared. The statement from the Christian leaders came from George Iskandar, the metropolitan archbishop of Tyre for the Melkite Greek Catholic Church; Elias Kfoury, the Greek Orthodox metropolitan of Tyre, Sidon and Dependencies; and Charbel Abdullah, the archeparch of the Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Tyre. The US military has lost at least 18 crewed aircraft and helicopters - including the latest Apache helicopter - since February 28, when it launched its first strikes on Iran. A Congressional Research Service report released last month recorded 42 US aircraft as lost or damaged during the war. Among the losses are: - Four F-15E fighter jets - One F-35A fighter - One A-10 ground-attack aircraft - Seven KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft - One E-3 airborne early warning-and-control system aircraft - Two MC-130J special operations aircraft - One HH-60W combat search-and-rescue helicopter An F-15E costs about $31 million for models delivered in the late 1990s, while newer versions cost closer to $100 million, according to specialist news site Airforce Technology. A US Apache helicopter went down near the coast of Oman yesterday, with a sea drone rescuing the two pilots on board. The cause of the crash remains under investigation. It comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and Israel following recent exchanges of fire. Iranian state television reported that Israeli attacks killed at least two members of the country’s air defence units. Earlier today, the Israeli military carried out strikes on the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, killing eight people, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. At least 3,666 people have been killed since the start of Israel's latest conflict with Hezbollah on March 2, the Lebanese Health Ministry says. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has said the recent strikes carried out by Israel, Iran and Hezbollah mark "one of the most dangerous moments since the fragile ceasefire was agreed". "The resumption of conflict is in no one’s interest, and I spoke to the Iranian foreign minister on Sunday evening to convey this directly," she told the House of Commons. Cooper welcomed the pause in strikes between Iran and Israel, but condemned the IDF's escalation of attacks in Lebanon, which she described as "reckless" and "disproportionate". A US Navy surface drone “found and rescued” two US crew members after a US Army Apache helicopter crashed. The chopper went down off the coast of Oman “while patrolling regional waters,” the US military said. US Central Command spokesperson Capt Timothy Hawkins said, “A US Navy surface drone found and rescued the crew from the water. U.S. 5th Fleet’s Task Force 59 is the Navy’s first operational AI and drone task force.” US Central Command has shared a post saying two crew members of an Apache helicopter are in a stable condition after it crashed. "At 7:33pm ET on June 8, two crew members from a U.S. Army AH-64 Apache were rescued by American forces after their helicopter went down near the coast of Oman while patrolling regional waters," it stated. "The Soldiers were safely rescued within approximately two hours and are in stable condition. "The cause of the incident is under investigation. Rescue efforts were led by US Naval Forces Central Command and the 82nd Airborne Division, with support from U.S. Air Force and Navy units including U.S. 5th Fleet’s Task Force 59." Donald Trump said Israel had already launched retaliatory strikes against Iran before his call for restraint. The US president insisted if he tells the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do something “he does it”, after he appeared to ignore Mr Trump’s demand to hold back from responding militarily. In a phone interview with the BBC, Trump said he stressed the need “to use a lot of common sense” when he spoke to the Israeli leader, amid ongoing negotiations aimed at securing an end to hostilities. He made his comments as Iran and Israel committed conditionally to halting attacks after the two sides exchanged fire for the first time since the April truce, threatening to plunge the Middle East back into full-scale war. He had earlier urged both countries to “immediately stop shooting”. The relationship between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is "diverging," a former top Israeli diplomat told CNN. When asked if Trump and Netanyahu were on the same page, Alon Pinkas responded: "They’re not even on the same book at this point." The former Israeli Consul General in New York City said this was "evident in how Trump is talking about Netanyahu in the last two weeks." Pinkas also raised concerns over the lack of exit strategy for Israel's offensive against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon — and pointed out that conflict has become part of Netanyahu’s political campaign. JD Vance says that Israel and the United States share some interests but also have their differences with the Trump administration targeting a nuclear deal with Iran. "The Israelis and the United States, we have a lot of shared interests, but we also have some situations where our interests diverge," said the US Vice-President. "I think where the president has been very clear here is that while Israel obviously has some objectives that it has, the United States' main objective in Iran is to ensure that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon." Vance said: "Over the last year and a half, we've created the space necessary where the president believes – and I think that he's right – that we can get the long-term settlement to Iran's nuclear deal. Now, Israel may like that, they may not like that. But fundamentally, we think this is in the best interest of the United States of America." UK economic growth is set to falter and unemployment will worsen as the conflict in the Middle East and rising energy costs weigh on consumers and firms, new forecasts have warned. Influential business group the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) warned that around 200,000 more Britons are on track to become unemployed in a gloomy outlook for the state of the economy. Its latest economic forecast predicted that UK unemployment will rise to 5.5% this year, which would represent around two million people. The unemployment rate was most recently reported at 5%, or around 1.8 million people, by the Office for National Statistics. Economists from the CBI said the weakening labour market is linked to reduced business investment in the face of higher cost inflation and concerns over consumer spending. The Israeli army has given evacuation warnings to people in southern Lebanon ahead of an attack. Spokesperson, Avichay Adraee gave the warning on X to residents in the city of Tyre, including those in the Christian Quarter and to the residents of the Shabariha Hammadieh, Jal al-Bahr, Zaqqouk, al-Mfadi, Al-Bass, Al-Maashouq, Burj al-Shamali, Nabatieh, Al-Hawsh, Al-Rashidieh, and Ain Baal camps. “As we warned in the past days, following Hezbollah elements’ actions inside the Christian Quarter in the city, the Israel Defense Forces will be compelled to act against their terrorist activities in the quarter in the near term,” he said Esmaeil Baghaei, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, has used a quote from Macbeth to attack US treasury secretary. He shared a video of Scott Bessent speaking of pride about taking Iranian assets. And he quoted - "Now does he feel his title Hang loose about him, like a giant's robe Upon a dwarfish thief." Shakespeare, Macbeth