Trump Vows to Respond After Iran Shoots Down U.S. Military Helicopter
President Trump said Tuesday the U.S. will be forced to respond to the recent Iranian attack on a U.S. helicopter near the coast of Oman.
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Iranian forces shot down a helicopter carrying two American pilots late Monday night, though both pilots were uninjured, Trump said in a Truth Social post.
“Nevertheless,” Trump said, “the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack.”
It was not immediately clear what the United States’s response would look like.
U.S. Central Command said the two soldiers were patrolling regional waters in a U.S. Army AH-64 Apache when the helicopter went down. “The Soldiers were safely rescued within approximately two hours and are in stable condition,” it stated.
Two U.S. officials confirmed that the helicopter was brought down by an Iranian drone, according to CNN.
The incident occurred as the Iran-U.S. conflict reached the 100-day mark. It comes in the midst of an already strained ceasefire between the United States and Iran.
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Trump announced earlier on Monday an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Iran after weeks of missile exchanges and ceasefire violations.
“Both sides are looking to do an immediate CEASEFIRE! Final negotiations on ‘Peace’ are proceeding, subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way,” wrote Trump in a Truth Social post. “The Blockade will remain in place, and in full force and effect, until a ‘Final Deal’ is reached. Things should move quickly.”
Trump also assured reporters that a deal to end the conflict could be reached “in two or three days,” according to POLITICO.
However, this is not the first violent confrontation between the U.S. and Iran since the ceasefire began. On June 5, U.S. forces shot down Iranian one-way attack drones to protect ship passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded by launching ballistic missiles toward Kuwait, which were intercepted by Kuwait forces. Both accused the other side of violating the terms of the ceasefire.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also issued a vague warning earlier on Tuesday in an X post: “We prefer the language of diplomacy, but we speak other languages far more fluently. Break your commitments, and we’ll switch to what we speak best. You ride the horse you saddled!”
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