US says strikes on Iranian air defenses near Strait of Hormuz completed

BAGHDAD, Iraq — US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Wednesday that strikes on Iranian air defense systems, ground control stations and surveillance radars near the Strait of Hormuz have been completed. The command said the operation was carried out with precision munitions launched from US Air Force and Navy fighter jets at the direction of President Donald Trump. CENTCOM said the strikes were a response to the downing of a US Army Apache helicopter and described the action as a "proportional response" to recent attacks targeting US forces and international commercial shipping in the area. The command labeled Iran's actions "unjustified aggression" and said US forces would remain in a defensive posture. Reports from US officials, cited by independent agencies, said radars and air defense systems around the Strait of Hormuz were targeted. Iranian media reported explosions in the Kushm, Serik, Minab and Bandar Abbas areas. Iran's Hatemi Ansar Central Headquarters said operations had been launched against regional bases in retaliation for the US strikes.