ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The United States and Iran exchanged fire early Wednesday after the Iranian army carried out missile attacks against targets in response to American “self-defense” strikes, which US President Donald Trump said were in response to Iran shooting down an Apache helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz. 

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Wednesday said it began launching “self-defense strikes” against Iran, “in response to yesterday’s downing of a US Army Apache helicopter,” defending the mission as a “proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression.” 

The targets included “Iranian air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz,” according to a CENTCOM statement.

Iran responded by striking US bases across the Middle East, with state media saying at least 21 targets were struck in Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait. 

In a later statement, Iran’s foreign ministry warned the Gulf countries of their “legal and moral responsibility” to prevent US and Israeli attacks via their territories. 

CENTCOM on Tuesday announced that two crew members were rescued after a US military helicopter crashed near the coast of Oman on Monday, adding that the cause of the crash is being investigated.

Trump later said that Iran was responsible for the attack, stressing that “the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack.”

The development comes as the US continues its naval blockade on Iranian ports in response to Iran’s closure of the key Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran and Washington appear to be on the brink of an agreement to end their conflict that began in late February, with a brief re-ignition of hostilities between Iran and Israel on Sunday that risked jeopardizing the progress, ultimately resolved.