Trump Claims Iran Downed U.S. Helicopter, Vows Response

President Donald Trump announced that Iran downed a sophisticated U.S. military Apache helicopter while it was patrolling near the Strait of Hormuz, vowing that the United States "must necessarily respond" to the attack. The incident occurred Tuesday morning local time.

According to a statement from U.S. Central Command, the helicopter crashed but both pilots on board were safely rescued. The military is investigating the details of the incident. The U.S. Navy deployed a Corsair surface drone, and the specialized Task Force 59, which uses drones at sea, participated in the rescue operation.

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Our great Army has just informed me that last night the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache helicopters while it was patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz. There were two pilots on board. Both are safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the United States must necessarily respond to this attack.

Trump's assertion of an Iranian attack came just hours after he had claimed that negotiations with Iran for a peace agreement were nearing completion. Speaking to reporters after attending an NBA finals game, Trump had expressed optimism about reaching a "very, very good" deal within "two or three days," despite recent escalations in hostilities between Iran and Israel.

This is not the first time Trump has projected optimism about an imminent agreement to end the conflict, which escalated on February 28 with a joint military offensive by the United States and Israel against the Iranian regime. The current situation presents a stark contrast between his diplomatic pronouncements and his military response threats.

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Iran and Israel were going back and forth and now they have both agreed through me to stop and we are in the final phase of what will be a very, very good deal.