US and Iran escalate new confrontation, fracturing fragile ceasefire

Conflict between the US and Iran has escalated once again, spilling beyond the Strait of Hormuz and drawing Gulf states into the fray, after a US Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopter crashed near the strategic waterway on Tuesday. US President Donald Trump accused Iran of shooting down the aircraft and ordered retaliatory strikes, while Tehran responded with attacks on US military facilities across the Gulf.

The US military declared its operation over. Iran has not made a similar statement, but experts say there are growing signs both sides want to avoid a return to full-scale war. While the fragile ceasefire brokered by Pakistan in April remains in effect, the latest moves suggest tensions could flare up at any moment, with both Washington and Tehran seemingly determined to test the limits of the truce to gain leverage for future peace talks.

How did the Apache helicopter crash?

The confrontation began when a US Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopter crashed near the Strait of Hormuz after being struck by an Iranian drone. It is not yet clear whether the aircraft was deliberately targeted, and US officials stress the incident is under investigation.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said an unmanned vessel rescued two US pilots shortly after the crash. The aircraft went down around 1:30 a.m. local time (22:00 GMT) off the coast of Oman. About two hours later, the unmanned vessel located the crew and transported them to a recovery point at sea, where they were picked up by another helicopter. President Trump later confirmed both soldiers were “safe and uninjured.” The rescue vessel was a 7.3-meter Corsair built by Saronic Technologies, operated by US Naval Task Force 59 – the navy’s first unit dedicated to artificial intelligence and unmanned systems, established in 2021.

How did the US respond?

Although US officials have not released the investigation's conclusions on whether the collision was intentional, President Trump quickly blamed Tehran for downing the helicopter. On social media, he wrote: “I was just informed by our great Military that last night the Iranians shot down one of our state-of-the-art Apache helicopters while on patrol over the Strait of Hormuz. The two pilots aboard are safe and uninjured. However, the United States, out of necessity, must respond to this attack.”

Iran rejected the accusation, but Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that foreign military forces operating near Iranian territory “always take a risk” and later pledged Tehran would respond to any new US attack.

Hours later, the US military launched what it called “self-defense strikes” against Iranian targets. CENTCOM stated: “CENTCOM forces began conducting self-defense strikes against Iran… in response to yesterday's downing of a US Army Apache helicopter. The mission is a proportionate response to Iran's unprovoked aggression.”

The Iranian administration said multiple locations in southern Iran were hit, including Sirik, Jask, Minab, Qeshm Island, and the port of Bandar Abbas. Qeshm Island is believed to house Iranian naval assets, while Bandar Abbas sits at a strategically sensitive position at the Strait of Hormuz, serving as a major Iranian naval hub in efforts to disrupt shipping along the channel. The US military said it targeted communications and radar facilities. However, Iranian officials said civilian infrastructure was also damaged, including water supply facilities.

How did Iran respond?

Iran retaliated hours later. On Wednesday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced it had carried out attacks on US military positions across the region, including the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and a US naval air base in Jordan. The IRGC said it used drones to strike naval facilities in Bahrain and long-range ballistic missiles targeting the base in Jordan.

The Jordanian military said it intercepted five missiles launched from Iran, while Kuwaiti armed forces reported intercepting “hostile aerial targets.” Bahrain activated air raid sirens as attacks unfolded. The IRGC claimed its missiles hit four key targets at the Jordanian base, including an F-35 fighter jet hangar and a command-and-control center. The force described the operation as the culmination of a broader retaliatory campaign, alleging it struck 21 US military facilities in the region and included shooting down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone. Al Jazeera could not independently verify these claims. The IRGC warned its forces are prepared to deliver a “crushing and decisive” response to any subsequent US military action. Foreign Minister Araghchi also warned that Washington had chosen to “test our resolve” and that Iran's armed forces would “not leave any attack or threat unanswered.”

Is there a new phase of conflict?

Analysts say the latest confrontation has exposed the fragility of the April ceasefire between Washington and Tehran. Brokered by Pakistan while US-Israeli and Iranian attacks continued in March, the early-April agreement halted direct hostilities but left many core disputes unresolved. The recent moves show both sides are still willing to use limited military force as a deterrent but stop short of a full-scale war.

Retired US General Mark Kimmitt, a former assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, told Al Jazeera that Washington felt it needed to respond to show that shooting down a US helicopter “would not be accepted.” “I would be very surprised if this escalates, and I very much hope it shows the situation is cooling down so we can return to diplomacy.”

Iran analyst Abas Aslani told Al Jazeera that Tehran does not want tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, Lebanon, or anywhere else to become a permanent feature of the regional landscape. “The United States has tried to turn new attacks and tensions in the Strait of Hormuz into a new normal… Iran wants to make sure this does not happen.” According to Aslani, Tehran's goal is deterrence by demonstrating that military pressure will bring consequences beyond the Strait of Hormuz. This calculation has become increasingly central to Iran's strategy. While Washington seeks to focus the confrontation on freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and a naval blockade of Iranian ports, Tehran is signaling that any attack near its territory could trigger a response targeting US military assets elsewhere in the Gulf.

In essence, Iran is trying to establish a new deterrence equation within the fragile ceasefire: US military action at the Strait of Hormuz will be met with attacks on US forces and bases across the region. By expanding the potential battlefield, Tehran hopes to raise the cost of future US military operations and restore deterrence to prevent US helicopter patrols along the strait. Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft in the US, told Al Jazeera: “The Iranians are trying to make it clear that any attack on them will be responded to, regardless of its size and scope.”