The pilots of the Apache attack helicopter have been rescued, President Donald Trump has said
US President Donald Trump has confirmed media reports about a US military Apache helicopter that crashed near the Strait of Hormuz amid Washington’s efforts to stop oil shipments from Iran.
Apache choppers are one of the most important aircraft used by the US military to enforce the blockade of Iranian ports, which was imposed by Washington to pressure Tehran to accept a peace agreement and restore traffic through the strait. The waterway, which the Iranians control, accounts for some 20% of global crude oil trade.
“The pilots are fine, no one was injured,” Trump told reporters when asked about the incident while returning from game three of the NBA finals in New York late Monday.
The Apache, which has been in service since the mid-1970s, is normally flown by two airmen.
The New York Times first reported the accident early Monday. The newspaper did not say whether the helicopter was downed by fire or suffered a mechanical failure.
Last month, the Congressional Research Service released a report based on open sources, claiming that the United States has lost at least 42 aircraft, both manned and unmanned, since the start of the US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28.
Earlier in April, Washington confirmed that two MC-130J Hercules transport planes, four MH-6 Little Bird helicopters, an A-10 Thunderbolt and an MQ-9 Reaper drone were destroyed during the operation to find the F-15E Strike Eagle pilot who had been shot down by Iranian forces. Iranian officials, at various points during the conflict, claimed that additional US aircraft were shot down, but most of those claims have not been accepted by Washington.
Israel and Iran launched attacks on each other on Monday in the deadliest since the start of a ceasefire between Washington and Tehran in April. Iranian authorities claimed that the United States was boring “Direct responsibility” to the Israeli attack on the capital of Lebanon, Beirut, which prompted the exchange.
Despite those events, Trump claimed so “We are very close to having a very good, strong and powerful plan” and Iran that can be signed “Two or three days.”
Tehran has rejected US demands to give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, while insisting on easing sanctions, freezing its assets, and halting Israeli military operations against Hizbullah in Lebanon even before a final deal is reached.
Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Monday that his country “The goal is to end the war and establish permanent security” through diplomatic and military means, adding that Tehran has “no trust” in the United States.
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