Published on 09/06/2026 - 20:00 GMT+2•Updated 21:35

US President Donald Trump has vowed to retaliate after accusing Iran of bringing down a US helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.

In a post on social media, Trump said military commanders had informed him that “the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache Helicopters.” He also said the helicopter's two crew members survived the incident without injury.

"They are safe and uninjured," Trump wrote.

"Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack,” he added.

The incident marked the first publicly known use of a drone boat by the US military to recover personnel. The unmanned vessel rescued two aviators after their Apache attack helicopter crashed close to the strategic waterway, which Iran has largely shut to shipping during its conflict with the US and Israel.

The helicopter's loss added to tensions surrounding a two-month ceasefire that came under renewed strain after Iran and Israel exchanged fire on Monday for the first time since the truce was agreed.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that "foreign forces" should leave the Strait of Hormuz or risk being caught in the crossfire.

"The Strait of Hormuz is NOT international waters but shared between Iran and Oman... Foreign forces in proximity to our territory are at constant risk on account of their own human errors, plain accidents, or potentially being caught in crossfire," Araghchi posted on X.

The conflict, which began on 28 February after US and Israel launched attacks on Iran, has had far-reaching economic consequences.

The fighting has unsettled global markets, pushed energy prices upwards and contributed to rising costs for everyday goods.

Potential peace deal was "two or three days away"

Trump had spent Monday night in New York attending Game 3 of the NBA finals, where he expressed renewed optimism over negotiations with Iran, saying that there was a "good chance" of signing a deal in "two or three days".

Although he did not elaborate, Trump had said that if strikes resumed, it would cost lives and keep the Strait of Hormuz closed for months.

Speaking before the news of the downed Apache, Trump said, "If we go and bomb — which we could do very easily if we want, and we spend another two or three weeks bombing — they’ll [Iran] have nothing left whatsoever."

The downing of a US Army helicopter marks the second confirmed loss of a crewed aircraft to Iranian fire since the war began in February.

The Apache, a two-seat attack helicopter armed with a 30mm chain gun and capable of carrying Hellfire missiles, came down near one of the world's most important shipping routes.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the aviators "were rescued by American forces after their helicopter went down near the coast of Oman.

"The soldiers were safely rescued within approximately two hours and are in stable condition."

A CENTCOM spokesperson said an unmanned naval surface drone assisted in the rescue operation, marking a rare use of the technology in a real-world recovery mission.

In April, an American F-15 fighter jet was shot down by what U.S. officials said was a shoulder-fired heat-seeking missile. The aircraft's two crew members ejected over Iranian territory and were later recovered during a rescue operation.

During that rescue mission, an A-10 ground attack aircraft was also damaged by Iranian fire. Its pilot was forced to eject after leaving Iranian airspace as the aircraft could no longer land safely.

In March, an American aerial refuelling aircraft crashed in western Iraq, killing all six crew members on board. US officials said the crash was not caused by hostile fire.

Earlier in the war, three American F-15E fighter aircraft were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti forces in a friendly-fire incident. All six crew members survived after ejecting.