U.S. President Donald Trump said early on Tuesday that two helicopter crew members had been rescued in good condition after their Apache gunship went down near the Iranian-held Strait of Hormuz.
“The pilots are fine, yeah—nobody injured,” Trump told reporters just after midnight, speaking on the runway at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport after attending the NBA Finals.
“We will issue a report tomorrow, but the pilots are fine,” the president added.
It was not immediately clear whether the Apache was shot down by Iranian forces, experienced mechanical failure or encountered a different problem, a source briefed on the incident told The New York Times.
United States Central Command announced that “two crew members from a U.S. Army AH-64 Apache were rescued by American forces after their helicopter went down near the coast of Oman while patrolling regional waters.”
The soldiers were extracted within approximately two hours in stable condition, according to the CENTCOM statement. “The cause of the incident is under investigation.”
“Rescue efforts were led by U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the 82nd Airborne Division, with support from U.S. Air Force and Navy units including U.S. 5th Fleet’s Task Force 59,” the military added.
Trump told reporters on Tuesday that Washington was in the final stages of negotiating a “very, very good deal” with Tehran. The deal being discussed “will not allow in any way, shape or form nuclear weapons, et cetera, and that the Strait will open up right away,” he added.
The president emphasized that the Strait of Hormuz would “open up immediately upon signing” of a deal.
According to Trump, his ongoing naval blockade on Iranian ports “has turned out to be much stronger than bombing.”
“You know, their economy is really suffering, and they are going to make a deal,” he concluded.
