Axios reported a senior U.S. official said Tuesday night’s strikes were designed
to restore some negotiating leverage while being carefully controlled to avoid
fatalities and keep the door open to an agreement. The official said when Trump
decided to respond the U.S. had not confirmed Iran intentionally shot down the
helicopter; the White House argued that even if the Apache collided with an
Iranian drone accidentally, the U.S. needed to signal it would not accept
Iranian behavior in the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. officials described the action as
a "proportionate and precise" strike limited to radar and drone-control systems
and deliberately intended to avoid causing Iranian casualties. Around 5:00 p.m.
ET, as U.S. jets headed to the target area, the White House informed Tehran the
strikes would be confined to military facilities.
