Trump says US 'must' respond after Iran shot down US Army helicopter near Strait of Hormuz

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — President Donald Trump blamed Iran for shooting down a U.S. Army chopper adjacent the Strait of Hormuz connected Tuesday and said the United States indispensable respond to the attack.

In the archetypal known cognition of its benignant by the American military, a drone vessel rescued the 2 aviators who were aboard the Apache onslaught chopper erstwhile it went down adjacent the captious shipping lane that Iran has efficaciously closed during its warfare with the U.S. and Israel.

Trump said successful a societal media station that subject officials told him “the Iranians changeable down 1 of our highly blase Apache Helicopters.” He added that some work members “are harmless and uninjured.”

"Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack,” Trump wrote.

Shortly earlier Trump's post, Iranian parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said connected X: “We similar the connection of diplomacy, but we talk different languages acold much fluently. Break your commitments, and we’ll power to what we talk best. You thrust the equine you saddled!”

The downing of the chopper further strained a two-month ceasefire a time aft Iran and Israel exchanged occurrence for the archetypal clip since the fragile truce took effect. Iranian authorities tv said Tuesday that the Israeli attacks killed astatine slightest 2 members of the country’s air-defense units.

Since the U.S. and Israel began striking Iran connected Feb. 28, the warfare has shaken the planetary economy, driven up vigor prices astir the satellite and made galore basics, including food, much expensive.

Officials person been incapable to crook the April ceasefire into a woody to permanently extremity the conflict, peculiarly arsenic Israel intensifies and expands its subject run successful Lebanon against the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah.

Army unit members picked up by drone boat

The clang happened astir 3:30 a.m. section clip Tuesday disconnected the seashore of Oman portion the chopper was connected a patrol, U.S. Central Command said.

An unmanned vessel located the 2 aviators aft they spent astir 2 hours successful the water, said Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command. He said it was the archetypal known drone rescue astatine oversea by the U.S. military.

Military officials did not accidental what caused the Apache chopper to spell down, saying the clang was nether investigation. Trump said helium had conscionable learned Iran was liable earlier posting his accusation Tuesday.

AH-64 Apache helicopters person been a cardinal plus for the American subject arsenic it enforces a blockade connected Iranian crude lipid shipments and tankers, seeking to unit Tehran into a deal. The helicopters person besides been utilized by the United Arab Emirates to sprout down Iranian drones.

The drone utilized to execute the rescue was a 24-foot (7.3-meter) vas called a Corsair, Hawkins said. It's manufactured by Saronic Technologies.

The drone was assigned to the Navy’s Task Force 59, established successful 2021 arsenic the Navy’s archetypal uncrewed and artificial quality portion that focuses connected maritime information successful the Middle East, including the Strait of Hormuz and the Suez Canal.

Trump insists an Iran woody is coming

Before helium accused Iran of downing the U.S. helicopter, Trump had expressed renewed optimism implicit negotiations with Iran.

“We person a bully chance” of signing a woody successful “two oregon 3 days," Trump said precocious Monday. But helium didn’t supply immoderate details connected wherefore determination was crushed for caller optimism. In the 2 months since the U.S. and Iran agreed to an archetypal ceasefire, Trump has repeatedly predicted that a woody is near.

“We’re precise adjacent to having a very, precise good, strong, almighty deal,” the president said. “If we spell and weaponry — which we could bash precise easy if we want, and we walk different 2 oregon 3 weeks bombing — they’ll person thing near whatsoever. But you won’t person the strait unfastened for months.”

He added: “If we bash the bombing, you know, a batch of radical are going to beryllium killed. Who wants to bash that? I don’t.”

Mediators, led predominantly by Pakistan, person been trying for weeks to get a woody crossed the line. However, some Iran and the U.S. person taken hard-line positions.

The U.S. wants to spot Iran springiness up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which is believed to beryllium entombed successful the aftermath of American airstrikes that happened during the 12-day warfare successful 2025. But Iran is refusing that and demanding alleviation from sanctions. It besides wants the merchandise of frozen assets adjacent earlier a last statement is successful place, thing rejected by Trump.

Before Trump’s comments connected negotiations, Qalibaf said Monday that Trump’s remarks truthful acold connected a imaginable woody “contradicted the agreed-upon sections," showing that the U.S. is “neither seeking a ceasefire nor dialogue.”

The continued warring betwixt Israel and Hezbollah is inactive a apical Iranian precedence arsenic well. Lebanon’s service chief, Gen. Rodolphe Haykal, traveled to Pakistan connected Tuesday. There, helium met Pakistan’s service chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, who has been a cardinal fig successful the Iran-U.S. talks.

Haykal's sojourn comes arsenic Lebanon's authorities takes an progressively hard enactment connected Hezbollah but remains incapable to disarm the almighty militia. Hezbollah thanked Iran connected Tuesday for attacking Israel “in defence of our Lebanese people,” suggesting that Lebanon's authorities should instrumentality this accidental to amended relations with Tehran.

Israel issues a informing for Tyre, Lebanon

Meanwhile, the Israeli subject issued an evacuation informing for Lebanon’s confederate larboard metropolis of Tyre, including the Christian quarter, which has truthful acold been spared from airstrikes connected the city.

Last week, Israel warned the Christian neighborhoods successful Tyre that it believed Hezbollah members were among them. Many Lebanese Shiite Muslims fled to those areas arsenic Israeli strikes hammered the Mediterranean coastal country implicit the past 2 weeks.

After past week’s warning, the Lebanese service deployed to the Christian territory of Tyre successful an effort to forestall Israeli attacks determination and to amusement that Hezbollah has nary equipped beingness successful the area. But Avichay Adraee, the Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesperson, posted connected X connected Monday that the Israeli subject “will person to enactment against their violent activities successful the vicinity soon.”

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Superville and Toropin reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price successful New York, Will Weissert successful Washington, Bassem Mroue successful Beirut, Munir Ahmed successful Islamabad and Russ Bynum successful Savannah, Georgia, contributed to this report.

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