A senior US official told Fox News on Wednesday that the American military is prepared to respond to any Iranian counterattack, after the US carried out a series of strikes against 20 military targets inside Iran in retaliation for the downing of an American Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz.
During the concentrated operation, US Air Force and Navy fighter jets fired precision-guided munitions at Iran. The strikes focused on military infrastructure threatening international shipping lanes near the Strait of Hormuz, including air defense systems, ground control stations, and Iranian tracking radar sites.
In a statement posted on X by US Central Command, the military said: “The operation was a proportional response to recent attacks on U.S. forces and international commercial ships transiting regional waters. U.S. forces remain vigilant and postured to defend against unjustified Iranian aggression.”
The White House decision-making process before the strike reflected a sharp turn in President Trump’s position. On Tuesday morning, during a phone call with the Wall Street Journal, Trump downplayed the severity of the incident, repeatedly claiming the Apache’s downing “is not a big deal” and emphasizing with satisfaction that the pilots were rescued in good condition.
His position completely changed after an urgent briefing by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Cain. The two presented the president with solid intelligence proving that an Iranian attack drone—a Shahed model—struck the Apache helicopter while it was conducting a patrol in Omani airspace.