President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States “must” respond after Iran shot down a U.S. Army Apache helicopter while it was patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz, escalating tensions as Washington and Tehran continue negotiations aimed at ending the months-long conflict.
“I have just been informed by our Great Military that last night the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache Helicopters while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack.”
The helicopter went down early Tuesday while operating near the coast of Oman. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) initially said the cause of the incident was under investigation and announced that both crew members had been rescued within approximately two hours by American forces and were in stable condition.
“At 7:33 p.m. ET on June 8, two crew members from a U.S. Army AH-64 Apache were rescued by American forces after their helicopter went down near the coast of Oman while patrolling regional waters,” CENTCOM said in a statement. “The Soldiers were safely rescued within approximately two hours and are in stable condition.”
Speaking to reporters before departing New York for Washington on Monday night, Trump said the crew members were safe and indicated additional details would be released later.
“The pilots are fine,” Trump said. “Nobody injured.”
Trump’s statement came a day after he personally intervened to halt renewed fighting between Israel and Iran amid ongoing negotiations that administration officials say are focused on reaching a broader agreement addressing Iran’s nuclear program, sanctions relief, and the future of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
The president has maintained that Washington and Tehran remain close to an agreement that would prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon while reopening the strategic waterway.
Speaking during a tele-rally Monday night supporting Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Trump projected confidence that negotiations were nearing a successful conclusion.
“We’ve been a very tough team, and I think we are winning that battle, but you’re really going to win it over the next two weeks when we declare total victory,” Trump said. “It’ll be a total victory. It’ll happen very soon.”
Hours after warning that the United States would respond to the helicopter incident, Trump also spoke about the scale of reconstruction facing Iran after months of conflict and suggested Washington could ultimately play a role in rebuilding efforts.
“Somebody’s going to have to build all that infrastructure, new bridges, new this, new that, new power plants,” Trump told ABC News. “They’re talking about a trillion dollars, probably more. That’s why we’ll probably get involved in rebuilding.”
The latest incident follows reporting last week that Trump had privately told aides he did not want to resume full-scale military operations against Iran unless American troops were killed. Asked last week whether the deaths of U.S. service members would constitute a red line for renewed military action, Trump indicated such a scenario would prompt a far more forceful response.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded Tuesday by reiterating Tehran’s preference for diplomacy while signaling Iran remained prepared for a military response if necessary.
“Iran prefers the language of diplomacy,” Araghchi wrote on X. “However, as our Brave Warriors have shown to the world, we know how to speak other languages too.”
Araghchi also appeared to suggest the helicopter incident may not have been intentional, arguing that foreign military forces operating near Iranian territory are inherently exposed to accidents, human error, or being caught in regional crossfire.
“The Strait of Hormuz is NOT international waters but shared between Iran and Oman,” Araghchi wrote. “Foreign forces in proximity to our territory are at constant risk on account of their own human errors, plain accidents, or potentially being caught in crossfire.”
“To reduce risk, the best solution is for foreign forces to exit,” he added.
The downing of the helicopter and Trump’s threat of retaliation come as negotiators continue working toward a broader agreement addressing Iran’s nuclear program, sanctions relief, and the future of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Vice President JD Vance said Monday that the administration still believes a long-term agreement remains achievable despite the latest flare-up between Washington and Tehran.
“If we get this deal, it’s going to be a home run for the American people,” Vance said.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
Read the full article here