Trump blames Iran for downing of army helicopter, and says US must respond
US president says crew members are ‘safe and uninjured’ after attack near strait of Hormuz early on Tuesday
Donald Trump has blamed Iran for downing a US army helicopter near the strait of Hormuz, warning that the United States would be forced to respond to the attack.
The US army Apache helicopter gunship crashed off the coast of Oman early on Tuesday, according to US Central Command. The two crew members were later rescued in an unprecedented operation using an unmanned drone boat, the military said.
The cause of the crash was not initially revealed, but in a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Iran was responsible, and said that Washington could not allow such an incident to go unanswered.
“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,” the US president wrote. “There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to the attack.”
The helicopter went down as the Middle East was still reeling after Iran and Israel exchanged fire on Monday in the biggest blow yet to the strained ceasefire in the Iran war. Iranian state television reported on Tuesday that the Israeli attacks killed at least two members of the country’s air defence units.
Since the US and Israel began striking Iran on 28 February the war has shaken the global economy, driven up energy prices around the world and made many basics, including food, more expensive.
Officials have been unable to turn the April ceasefire into a deal to permanently end the conflict, particularly as Israel intensifies and expands its military campaign in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia.
The crash happened at about 3.30am local time on Tuesday off the coast of Oman while the helicopter was on a patrol, US Central Command said.
An unmanned boat located the two aviators after they spent about two hours in the water, said Centcom spokesperson Capt Tim Hawkins. He said it was the first known drone rescue at sea by the US military.
Military officials did not say what caused the Apache helicopter to go down, saying the crash was under investigation. Trump said he had just learned Iran was responsible before posting his accusation on Tuesday.
AH-64 Apache helicopters have been a key asset for the American military as it enforces a blockade on Iranian crude oil shipments and tankers, seeking to put pressure on Tehran to make a deal. The helicopters have also been used by the United Arab Emirates to shoot down Iranian drones.
The drone used to perform the rescue was a 24-foot (7.3-metre) vessel called a Corsair, Hawkins said.
Before he accused Iran of downing the US helicopter, Trump had expressed renewed optimism over negotiations with Iran.
“We have a good chance” of signing a deal in “two or three days”, Trump said. But he didn’t provide any details on why there was reason for new optimism. In the two months since the US and Iran agreed to an initial ceasefire, Trump has repeatedly predicted that a deal is near.
“We’re very close to having a very, very good, strong, powerful deal,” the president said. “If we go and bomb – which we could do very easily if we want, and we spend another two or three weeks bombing – they’ll have nothing left whatsoever. But you won’t have the strait open for months.”
He added: “If we do the bombing, you know, a lot of people are going to be killed. Who wants to do that? I don’t.”
With reporting by the Associated Press
So the bottom line is the US army Apache helicopter gunship crashed off the coast of Oman early on Tuesday, according to US Central Command. Wonder how this will land.
The bigger issue here is donald Trump has blamed Iran for downing a US army helicopter near the strait of Hormuz, warning that the United States would be forced to respond to the attack. That changes the calculation.
The crash happened at about 3.30am local time on Tuesday off the coast of Oman while the helicopter was on a patrol, US Central Command said. Meanwhile donald Trump has blamed Iran for downing a US army helicopter near the strait of Hormuz, warning that the United States would be forced to respond to the attack.
Reading that donald Trump has blamed Iran for downing a US army helicopter near the strait of Hormuz, warning that the United States would be forced to respond to the attack — hard to argue with the logic there.
So the bottom line is the crash happened at about 3.30am local time on Tuesday off the coast of Oman while the helicopter was on a patrol, US Central Command said. Wonder how this will land.
When you look at donald Trump has blamed Iran for downing a US army helicopter near the strait of Hormuz, warning that the United States would be forced to respond to the attack, the implications are hard to ignore.
What stands out is since the US and Israel began striking Iran on 28 February the war has shaken the global economy, driven up energy prices around the world and made many basics, including food, more expensive. That is the part worth paying attention to.
In other words the US army Apache helicopter gunship crashed off the coast of Oman early on Tuesday, according to US Central Command. Curious to see how this develops.
When you look at since the US and Israel began striking Iran on 28 February the war has shaken the global economy, driven up energy prices around the world and made many basics, including food, more expensive, the implications are hard to ignore.
Basically the US army Apache helicopter gunship crashed off the coast of Oman early on Tuesday, according to US Central Command. What matters is whether anything changes because of it.
Still waiting to hear what Central Command actually plans to do about it.
So the bottom line is the helicopter went down as the Middle East was still reeling after Iran and Israel exchanged fire on Monday in the biggest blow yet to the strained ceasefire in the Iran war. Wonder how this will land.
Tuesday Donald is in a tough spot here, curious how they navigate it.
Basically the crash happened at about 3.30am local time on Tuesday off the coast of Oman while the helicopter was on a patrol, US Central Command said. What matters is whether anything changes because of it.
The fact that donald Trump has blamed Iran for downing a US army helicopter near the strait of Hormuz, warning that the United States would be forced to respond to the attack really puts things into perspective.