Strait of Hormuz: US helicopter shot down by Iran, Trump vows retaliation

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Iran shot down a U.S. Apache combat helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz, vowing retaliation for the incident. The helicopter's two crew members were safely rescued, according to reports. "I have just been informed by our great military that the Iranians shot down last night one of our very fine, advanced Apache helicopters while it was flying over the Strait of Hormuz," Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. "The two pilots are safe and unharmed. Nevertheless, the United States must, necessarily, retaliate for this attack." This marks the second U.S. aircraft with a crew that American officials have confirmed was downed by Iranian forces since the conflict began on February 28. In April, an F-15E strike fighter jet crashed in southwestern Iran; its two pilots were rescued, one after a particularly dramatic military operation. The Apache helicopter is an attack aircraft designed for two crew members. It is equipped with a machine gun and can also be armed with missiles. The U.S. military's Central Command for the Middle East (Centcom) had previously stated that "two crew members" of an AH-64 Apache helicopter were rescued by U.S. forces near the coast of Oman, approximately "two hours" after their aircraft was hit. The New York Times initially reported the crash, stating the helicopter went down near the Strait of Hormuz and that the crew was rescued unharmed. Trump's public statement elevated the incident, framing it as a direct Iranian attack requiring a U.S. response.

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I have just been informed by our great military that the Iranians shot down last night one of our very fine, advanced Apache helicopters while it was flying over the Strait of Hormuz.