President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Iran shot down a U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopter during a patrol mission near the Strait of Hormuz, escalating tensions in the Middle East even as Washington continues to pursue a diplomatic agreement aimed at ending the conflict and reopening one of the world's most critical energy corridors.
The incident occurred off the coast of Oman, where the Apache went down during a routine patrol mission. Trump disclosed the alleged Iranian involvement in a Truth Social post hours after U.S. Central Command confirmed that both crew members had been rescued and were receiving medical treatment.
"The Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache Helicopters while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz," Trump wrote. "There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack."
Before Trump's comments, U.S. Central Command had stated only that the cause of the incident remained under investigation. CENTCOM said the helicopter was operating in regional waters when it went down and confirmed that both soldiers were rescued within approximately two hours.
The rescue operation itself represented a milestone for the U.S. military. According to CENTCOM spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins, an unmanned surface vessel operated by Task Force 59 located and recovered the two soldiers before transferring them to another platform for evacuation.
"The task force began fielding these drones in theater in late March," Hawkins told NBC News.
Military officials described the operation as the first time a U.S. unmanned sea drone had been used successfully in a real-world rescue mission. The autonomous vessel transported the crew to a location where they were subsequently hoisted aboard a helicopter for further medical evaluation.
Iranian state media acknowledged reports of the helicopter crash but stopped short of claiming responsibility. The semi-official Mehr News Agency reported on the incident while noting that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had not issued a formal statement.
