Iran news highlights: US military launches strikes against Iran, Tehran says ‘won’t leave attack unanswered'

Smoke and debris rise following an Israeli airstrike in Tyre on June 9, 2026.

Iran news highlights: The United States military announced that it has launched strikes against Iran following the crash of a US Apache helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement posted to social media, US Central Command said the strikes would be “a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression.” The strikes come after US President Donald Trump vowed to respond after he accused Iran of shooting down a US military helicopter the previous night. Iran deputy foreign minister said the US helicopter was not deliberately targeted by Tehran.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later urged foreign forces to leave the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding areas, warning they faced a persistent risk of being caught in the crossfire if they remained.

A strong deal with Iran may be very close, likely to be finalised in three days, as there are no sticking points left, US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday, after Iran and Israel agreed to halt strikes, a development he claimed credit for. However, both Iran and Israel have warned each other of retaliation in case of any attacks.

Amid reports of a halt in strikes, a report claimed that Trump has warned Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu that if the country resumes the war with Iran, he would soon be "left on his own". "I said, 'Bibi, you better be careful, or you will be on your own very soon,'" Trump told Axios. According to a Reuters report, Iran's military has said that its first wave of strikes on Israel is over. The report quoted a source as saying that Israel had also decided to halt its attacks on Iran.

The halt in strikes came hours after Iran fired missiles towards Israeli territory, and Israel hit Iranian air defense systems and a petrochemical plant that it said was used to produce ballistic missiles. Iran had justified its attack has retaliation for Israel's targeting of Iranian-backed Hezbollah on the outskirts of Beirut.

Lebanon has been one of the sticking points in the ceasefire negotiations between the US and Iran.

What Trump said on the ceasefire

The decision to halt strikes, taken by Israel and Iran, was also announced by Donald Trump in a Truth Social post on Monday. "Final negotiations on “Peace” are proceeding, subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way," a part of his post read.

The US President also said that the US blockade of Strait of Hormuz continues until a "final" deal is reached, adding that developments should happen quickly.

Israeli envoy to US denies Trump-Netanyahu tensions

Reports of conflict and difference of opinion between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have emerged several times amid the ongoing Iran-US negotiations. Israel is a key player to these talks, having assisted the US in carrying out a surprise attack in Tehran in February that soon escalated into a war. Israel's strikes on Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon later complicated matters further.

However, Israel’s Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter pushed back on reports that Trump pressured Netanyahu into agreeing to cease firing, telling Fox News’ “Special Report” that conversations between the two leaders were cooperative and accusing journalists of playing up a misleading narrative.

“They have a deep friendship that goes back some 40 years, and sometimes lovers have a spat, and sometimes the tension in the room and on the conversation can get a little heated,” Leiter reportedly said.