The United States has carried out retaliatory strikes on targets in Iran after a US military helicopter was shot down, in the latest escalation of the conflict.
The attacks were ordered by President Donald Trump, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on X.
In an interview with US broadcaster ABC News, Trump said the US military response to the downing of the Apache attack helicopter, for which he blamed Iran, would be "very strong, very powerful."
According to US media reports, US forces bombed Iranian air defence and radar systems around the Strait of Hormuz.
"The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression," CENTCOM said, adding that US forces began launching "self-defense strikes" against Iran at 2100 GMT on Tuesday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi threatened counterstrikes shortly afterwards.
"Our Powerful Armed Forces will leave no attack or threat unanswered," he wrote on X.
"Leave our region if you want to be safe. History of the Persian Gulf has many chapters on dire fates of intruding outsiders," Araghchi added.
Tehran had previously responded to US fire on individual targets in Iran with attacks on Gulf states such as Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, where US military bases are also located.
Iranian media reported explosions following the US attacks in the city of Sirik on the Strait of Hormuz and on Qeshm island, among other places.
There were also reports of impacts in the area around the major city of Bandar Abbas.
According to Iran's Tasnim news agency, two water tanks were hit in a district of Sirik, disrupting the drinking water supply.
CENTCOM initially provided no details on the targets or the scale of the attacks.
Trump told ABC News in a telephone interview that it was important to respond to the downing of the helicopter. "They shot down a helicopter, and we are responding as we speak," Trump said.
He said he believed that the response should be "very strong, very powerful."
Trump also said there was a "deal that was very good" and that it would probably still hold, apparently referring to difficult negotiations with Tehran on ending the war.
The president did not provide further details. Trump had recently repeatedly voiced optimism that an agreement with Iran to end the war was within reach.
A ceasefire has officially been in place in the Iran war for two months, but it has appeared increasingly fragile in recent days.
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump said that the US military had informed him that the "Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache Helicopters while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz. "
"There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack," he said.
The US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, and Trump has been trying to get an agreement with the Iranians for much of the time ever since.
