US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the Apache helicopter that crashed near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday was shot down by Iran. At the same time, he pointed out that the United States “must” react. TASR informs about it according to the reports of the AFP and AP agencies.
- Donald Trump called Iran the perpetrator of the downing of the Apache helicopter near Hormuz.
- Trump declared that the United States must respond to the Iranian attack.
- Both pilots from the crashed Apache helicopter were rescued by US forces.
- The rescue of pilots at sea was carried out for the first time by an American unmanned naval vessel.
- For the second time, the United States has credited Iran with shooting down a piloted military aircraft.
“I have just been informed by our armed forces that the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache helicopters during the night that was patrolling the Strait of Hormuz. There were two pilots on board, both are safe and unharmed. However, the United States must respond to this attack,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform.
Saving the pilots
The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said two Apache helicopter crew members “were rescued by US forces after their helicopter crashed off the coast of Oman”.
A naval drone located the two pilots after they were in the water for about two hours, CENTCOM spokesman Tim Hawkins said. He added that it was the first known rescue by an unmanned vessel at sea by the US military.
Meaning of Apache helicopters
The Boeing AH-64 Apache is a two-man attack helicopter, armed with laser-guided Hellfire missiles or Hydra unguided missiles.
The machines are among the US military’s key in blocking tankers heading to and from Iranian ports in an effort to pressure Tehran to accede to the deal. Helicopters are also used by the United Arab Emirates when shooting down Iranian drones, AP notes.
The context of the attacks
The Apache crashed shortly after the end of the latest mutual attacks between Iran and Israel.
The AFP agency recalled that this is the second American manned aerial vehicle, the downing of which the USA has officially attributed to Iran. In April, the US military reported the loss of an F-15 fighter.
