By Ryan Morgan
Contributing Writer
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced on Monday that Iran was responsible for downing a U.S. attack helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz a day earlier, and vowed that the United States would respond.
“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,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
“There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack.”
The Army AH-64 Apache helicopter was shot down around the same time Iran announced it had ceased attacks on Israel. Iran had cast its attacks on Israel over the weekend as an act of retaliation for Israeli military operations in Lebanon.
“Should the aggressions and hostile acts continue — including in southern Lebanon — far more severe and crushing measures than before will be forthcoming,” Iran’s military said in a statement carried by state-affiliated media on Sunday.
Trump’s vow to respond to the downing of the U.S. helicopter could further unsettle efforts to reach a peace agreement with Tehran. Hours earlier, Trump said negotiations were in their “final throes” and that he’d prefer diplomacy to further bloodshed.
A White House official said that the president won’t be rushed into concluding a bad deal with Tehran.
“President Trump holds the cards and has all the time he needs to make the best deal for the United States and the world,” the White House official said.
Drone Boat Used in Rescue
Navy Capt. Timothy Hawkins, a U.S. Central Command spokesman, said that a 24-foot Corsair unmanned surface vessel was the first to reach the flight crew of the downed Apache helicopter. The Corsair drone boat is assigned to Task Force 59, which manages the operation of unmanned systems in the Middle Eastern waterways.
Hawkins said the Corsair drone boat transported the downed flight crew to another location, where a rescue helicopter arrived to collect them and provide further transport.
CENTCOM previously disclosed that the flight crew were safely rescued at 7:33 p.m. ET on Monday, around two hours after their helicopter went down.
Task Force 59 began fielding Corsair drone boats in late March, weeks after U.S. forces commenced combat operations against Iran.
Elements of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and the Air Force were also involved in the rescue effort.
Emel Akan contributed to this report.
