Early Thursday local time in the Middle East, the U.S. launched a round of airstrikes on Iran. Reports say the attacks started around midnight local time (5:15 p.m. EDT) and lasted for four hours. A total of 49 Tomahawk missiles were deployed, and fighter jets bombed areas near military facilities 45 miles outside of the city of Tehran and along the coast of the Persian Gulf.
According to Iranian news reports, Hezbollah has since retaliated by hitting 18 important U.S. targets in the Al-Salem and Ahmad al-Jaber bases. President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that he is canceling his plans to hit Iran again because he was able to have discussions with Iranian leaders and “final points have been approved by all parties involved, including the United States, Israel, etc.”
Following the initial attacks, Trump participated in an on-air interview with Fox News, saying the U.S. hit Iran very hard with “250 million dollars’ worth of bombs” on Wednesday night.
Trump went on to note, “My preference has always been to take Kharg Island… I don’t know if America has the stomach for it.” Kharg Island is located 15 miles from the main coast of Iran and is a strategic outpost in the war because of its oil depot.
The military attacks followed Trump’s vow to hit Iran very hard after Iran recently shot a U.S. helicopter and their recent attacks on Israel. Trump said, “They’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!”
U.S. Central Command also announced Wednesday that American forces would initiate retaliatory strikes. “Forces began launching self-defense strikes against Iran at 5 p.m. ET [Wednesday] at the Commander in Chief’s direction,” officials said in an X post, claiming the mission was “proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression.”
The U.S. response also follows what happened Tuesday at 3:30 a.m. local time, when Iran shot down a U.S. Apache helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz. NBC reports say a “drone collided with the Apache, causing it to crash.” Iran has not formally admitted responsibility for the crash. Trump said that two American pilots were involved, but are “safe and uninjured.” He added that the provocation warranted a direct response from the U.S.
Iranian Ambassador to the U.N. Amir Saeid Iravani advised Wednesday, “The President of the United States should refrain from his recurring threats against Iran, including his renewed threat of force made today.”
