“This is a response to what they did they did with our helicopter last night, and I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that’s what this one is,” President Donald Trump said Tuesday. (Saul Loeb – AFP / Getty Images)
By Jack Davis June 9, 2026 at 4:04pm
American forces attacked Iran Tuesday night in response to the Iranian downing of an Apache helicopter.
“U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces began launching self-defense strikes against Iran at 5 p.m. ET today at the Commander in Chief’s direction, in response to yesterday’s downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter,” Central Command posted on X.
“The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression,” the post read.
The Times of Israel reported that Iran reported multiple attacks.
“Sounds of explosions are heard in eastern parts of Iran’s Hormozgan province, Fars news agency reports,” it wrote.
“Iranian state media also says a projectile hit had been confirmed in Sirik, a city in Hormozgan, and that that explosions were heard on the island of Qeshm in the Strait of Hormuz, which is also part of the province,” the site reported.
President Donald Trump told Jonathan Karl of ABC News the response was necessary.
“I think it’s very important to respond. They shot down a helicopter, and we are responding as we speak,” Trump said.
“This is a response to what they did they did with our helicopter last night, and I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that’s what this one is,” he said.
I was on the phone with Trump as CENTCOM announced US retaliatory strikes against Iran. Here’s what he said:
“I think it’s very important to respond. They shot down a helicopter, and we are responding as we speak.”
He added: “This is a response to what they did they did with…
— Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) June 9, 2026
Earlier in the day, Trump had vowed to respond.
“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,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack,” Trump wrote.
According to NBC News, an Iranian drone brought down the helicopter.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said American troops are at risk from being where they do not belong.
“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,” Araghchi wrote on social media.
“To reduce risk, best solution is for them to leave. We prefer language of diplomacy but speak other languages too,” he wrote.
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Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack can be reached at jackwritings1@gmail.com.
Location
New York City
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Foreign Policy, Military & Defense Issues
