President Donald Trump has accused Iran of shooting down a United States Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz and vowed that Washington would respond.
Trump made the claim on Tuesday in a post on Truth Social, saying he had been informed by the U.S. military that Iran was responsible for the crash.
According to him, the Apache helicopter was on patrol over the Strait of Hormuz when it was allegedly shot down.
“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 wrote.
He added that the two crew members involved were safe and uninjured, but insisted that the United States would retaliate.
“There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack,” Trump said.
However, U.S. Central Command has not confirmed that Iran shot down the helicopter.
In a statement on Tuesday, Central Command said an Apache helicopter gunship went down on Monday while patrolling regional waters, adding that the pilot and gunner were rescued safely within about two hours.
The command said the cause of the crash remained under investigation.
A Central Command spokesman, Capt. Tim Hawkins, said the U.S. Navy deployed a remotely piloted surface drone to assist in rescuing the two crew members.
According to him, the drone picked up the crew members and moved them to another point on the water, where they were later hoisted into a helicopter for further transport.
The incident occurred near the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most sensitive oil shipping routes.
It also comes after days of rising tension in the region, following military exchanges between Israel and Iran before both sides appeared to step back.
Trump’s threat of retaliation is expected to heighten concerns over a possible fresh confrontation between Washington and Tehran.