US military strikes Iran after drone downing

The US military said Tuesday it has begun strikes against Iran following the crash of a US Army Apache helicopter off the coast of Oman that US President Donald Trump blamed on the Islamic Republic.

In a statement posted to social media, US Central Command said the strikes would be "a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression."

It comes after Trump blamed Iran for downing the helicopter and vowed that the US would respond.

Soon after Trump made his accusation, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said in a social media post that the strait is "thousands of miles away from US shores."

"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. "To reduce risk, best solution is for them to leave."

The downing of the helicopter further strained a two-month ceasefire a day after Iran and Israel exchanged fire for the first time since the fragile truce took effect.

Iranian state television said Tuesday that the Israeli attacks killed at least two members of the country's air-defense units.

Trump had blamed Iran for shooting down a helicopter close to the Strait of Hormuz and said the United States must respond.

Iran's top diplomat said foreign military forces near the country's territory "are at constant risk."