The U.S. military launched what it called “self-defense strikes” in Iran on Tuesday evening in retaliation for the downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter by an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.

A U.S. official told Politico and Axios that the strikes targeted Iranian radar and air-defense sites. 

In announcing the start of the operation at 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday, CENTCOM called the mission “ a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression.”

The military action was widely anticipated after President Donald Trump declared earlier on Tuesday that the U.S. military “must, of necessity, respond” to Iran’s attack on the American asset. Prior to Tuesday’s exchange, Trump had indicated that a comprehensive diplomatic agreement between Washington and Tehran to end the war was in its “final throes” and could potentially be finalized in “two or three days.”

Regional experts had speculated that any U.S. military response would likely be limited in scope and unlikely to derail negotiations or trigger a return to fully fledged conflict, but Iranian leadership indicated it is prepared to launch further attacks.

“Our Powerful Armed Forces will leave no attack or threat unanswered,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated on X following the U.S. airstrikes. “Despite its defeats on the battlefield, the U.S. opted to test our determination. Leave our region if you want to be safe. History of the Persian Gulf has many chapters on dire fates of intruding outsiders.”