ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The US President on Tuesday vowed to “respond to the attack” by Iran after it “shot down” a US helicopter patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz, Donald Trump said, adding that the crew were unharmed.
“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 American president stated in a post on his Truth Social platform, noting that “there were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured.”
“Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack,” he added.
Trump’s remarks came shortly after the US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported on Tuesday that “at 7:33 p.m. ET on June 8, two crew members from a U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopter were rescued by American forces after their aircraft went down near the coast of Oman while patrolling regional waters.”
“The cause of the incident is under investigation,” the Command added
For his part, Barak Ravid, a political reporter for the American website Axios, cited “a senior U.S. official” as saying that the investigation “determined that an Iranian drone struck the helicopter and caused it to crash.”
The official added however that “the investigation has not yet determined whether the strike was intentional or not, and the matter is still under review,” Ravid further noted in his post on X.
While the Iranian military has not confirmed the targeting, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf notably posted a cryptic message on X on Tuesday, stating, “We prefer the language of diplomacy, but we speak other languages far more fluently.”
“Break your commitments, and we’ll switch to what we speak best. You ride the horse you saddled,” he added.
The incident comes as diplomatic efforts are ongoing to secure a comprehensive resolution to the Iran war.
The US and Israel in late February launched a large-scale aerial campaign against Iran, striking thousands of targets across the country over six weeks of hostilities, before the warring sides agreed to a Pakistan-mediated ceasefire on April 8, halting fighting to allow space for talks.
While the first round of talks concluded without a final agreement on April 11, a second round has yet to take place.
Alongside the diplomatic efforts, Tehran and Washington engaged in reciprocal maritime measures. Iran tightened its control over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, while the US imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports beginning April 13.
Trump had on Monday stated that “final negotiations on ‘Peace’ are proceeding,” adding that “the Blockade [on Iranian ports] will remain in place, and in full force and effect, until a ‘Final Deal’ is reached.”
In a post on Truth Social, he added, “Things should move quickly.”
Of note, the US in early April said it rescued two American pilots from “enemy territory” in Iran in two separate missions, Trump then stated, following a two-day combat search-and-rescue mission after their aircraft were reportedly “shot down” by the Iranian military.
RELATED: US rescues two pilots from Iran in separate missions
Last updated 8:10 pm
