Earlier, President Donald Trump said that Iran had shot down an American military helicopter while it was patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz and noted that the U.S. would “respond.”

The US has launched strikes on Iran in retaliation for the downing of a US Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz, according to US Central Command.

U.S. forces began launching "self-defense strikes" against Iran at 5 PM ET Tuesday ... according to an X post from U.S. Central Command.