Trump responds to US Apache helicopter crash near Hormuz, claims Iran deal close
US president says crew are ‘fine’ and expresses optimism over dealings with Tehran for a ‘powerful deal’
A US Army Apache attack helicopter crashed on Tuesday near the Strait of Hormuz, but President Donald Trump said the two crew members aboard were not injured in the incident near the strategic waterway that Iran has effectively closed during the war.
What caused the crash remains unclear in a Middle East still reeling after Iran and Israel exchanged fire the previous day in the biggest blow yet to the straining ceasefire in the Iran war. Iranian state television reported on Tuesday the Israeli attacks killed at least two members of the country’s air defence units.
Since the US and Israel began striking Iran on February 28, the war has shaken the global economy, driven up energy prices around the world and made many basics, including food, more expensive. Officials have been unable to turn the April ceasefire into a deal to permanently end the conflict, particularly as Israel intensifies and expands its military campaign in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah.
Trump, speaking to journalists at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York after watching the NBA Finals on Monday night, acknowledged the crash.
“The pilots are fine. Yeah,” Trump said. “Nobody injured. We are going to issue a report tomorrow. But the pilots are fine.”
The crash happened about 3.30am (local time) on Tuesday off the coast of Oman while on a patrol, the US military’s Central Command said in a later statement. It said the crew had been rescued within two hours and were in stable condition.