U.S. Launches Self-Defense Strikes Against Multiple Targets in Iran After Helicopter Downing

The United States launched additional self-defense strikes at 5:15 p.m. ET on Wednesday against multiple targets in Iran, with U.S. Central Command saying the action was in response to "Iran's unwarranted and continued aggression."

“Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has confirmed that the United States is launching strikes on “key facilities” in Iran, framing the attacks as part of the ongoing negotiations for a permanent ceasefire”

Al Jazeera

President Donald Trump said the U.S. would hit Iran "very hard" again today after Iran downed a U.S. Army helicopter patrolling the Strait of Hormuz, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said CENTCOM would be busy because Trump “said we will be hitting Iran hard, and we will be.”

Al Jazeera

Iran’s military said the Strait of Hormuz was closed to all traffic, including oil tankers and commercial ships, and any transit would be targeted, according to a statement posted on Telegram by the state-owned IRIB news agency.

Iranian official media reported explosions near Minab and Sirik, and CNN reported that Iranian official media said “enemy” projectiles hit locations early Thursday local time near Minab and Sirik, jurisdictions in southern Iran near the Strait of Hormuz.

At CENTCOM headquarters in Tampa, Florida, Hegseth said the U.S. would hit "key facilities" in Iran overnight, and he told reporters, "If we need to negotiate with bombs, we'll negotiate with bombs."

BBC reported that Trump said, "We dealt them a strong blow yesterday, and we will deal them a strong blow again today," while Iranian President Masoud Bezhkian wrote on X that Iran "will stand firm in the face of any pressure or threat."

BBC

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ismail Baqai accused the United States of undermining diplomacy, saying it was "undermining this diplomatic process with the contradictory messages it sends" and "repeatedly violating the ceasefire."

The BBC also reported that CENTCOM described the strikes as defensive and targeting several sites across the country, while Reuters cited a U.S. official as saying all Iranian missiles and drones launched at American bases in the Middle East were intercepted, with no casualties reported.

The escalation tightened pressure on regional shipping as Iran said the Strait of Hormuz was closed to all traffic, including oil tankers and commercial ships, and any such traffic would be targeted, while the Guardian described the interruption to global shipping and energy supplies as having knock-on effects around the world.

“What to know about the Iran war today: - CENTCOM said the U”

CBS News

Trump said the U.S. had been taking oil out of Iran and claimed, "Millions of barrels of oil has come out, and that’s why it’s at $85-$90 a barrel, instead of $250," as the Guardian reported the U.S. embassy in Baghdad warned U.S. citizens to maintain heightened readiness and stay alert to local news sources.

The U.S. also moved to expand sanctions, with the State Department announcing sanctions on 13 people and entities it said sought to source and purchase weapons for the Iranian military, and Tommy Pigott saying the U.S. would maintain "maximum pressure on Iran" to deny the IRGC and Iran access to resources.

In parallel, the U.S. Treasury Department announced it sanctioned nine people and entities that facilitated weapons procurement for the Iranian military, and NBC reported that the U.S. military said it was protecting commercial shipping going through the Strait of Hormuz, "to the tune of over 100 million barrels" that have moved through.