Trump says Iran shot down US helicopter over Hormuz, vows to respond

President Donald Trump has accused Iran of shooting down a United States military helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz, saying that he will respond to the attack.

“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 in a social media post on Tuesday.

“There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack.”

The incident is the latest outburst of violence threatening the truce, which has been pushed to the brink by repeated skirmishes across the region.

The Middle East-based Central Command (CENTCOM) of the US military had said earlier that the cause of the incident was under investigation.

“The Soldiers were safely rescued within approximately two hours and are in stable condition,” CENTCOM said.

The latest escalation comes after the US military said that it disabled an Iranian oil tanker in the Gulf on Monday.

Fighting also had erupted between Iran and Israel over the past days. Iran fired missiles at Israel in response to the bombing of Beirut by the Israeli military.

In turn, Israel carried out strikes inside Iran against Trump’s calls for restraint.

Since the truce came into effect on April 6, it has come under strain by repeated attacks and counter-attacks in the region.

Earlier this month, the US military carried out strikes against Iran’s Qeshm Island to which Tehran responded with missile launches against a US base in Kuwait. A drone also hit the country’s international airport, killing one person, but Iran has denied responsibility for that attack.

But Trump has played down the previous rounds of violence, stressing that a deal between Washington and Tehran remains close despite the tension.

A direct Iranian attack on US troops appears to be a step up the escalatory ladder. Iranian forces have not taken responsibility for downing the helicopter.

Top officials in Tehran have repeatedly argued that the US naval siege on Iranian ports as well as the ongoing Israeli attacks in Lebanon constitute a violation of the ceasefire.

More details to come…