US army Apache helicopter crashes near Strait of Hormuz amid conflict with Iran
The cause of the crash remained unknown as of Tuesday morning, adding to tensions in the Middle East following a fresh exchange of fire between Iran and Israel a day earlier
PTC News Desk: A US army Apache helicopter crashed near the Strait of Hormuz with President Donald Trump asserting that both the crew members on board were fine after the incident involving the strategic waterway, which remains under a chokehold by Iran.
The cause of the crash remained unknown as of Tuesday morning, adding to tensions in the Middle East following a fresh exchange of fire between Iran and Israel a day earlier—the most serious violation of the fragile ceasefire since the Iran conflict began. Iranian state media, citing foreign reports, confirmed the crash but provided no further details.
The region continues to face instability after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28. The conflict has had far-reaching economic consequences, disrupting global markets, pushing up energy prices, and increasing the cost of essential goods, including food.
Despite a ceasefire announced in April, efforts to transform the truce into a lasting peace agreement have stalled, with officials yet to secure a permanent resolution to the conflict.
Trump, speaking to journalists at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York after watching the NBA Finals on Monday night, acknowledged the crash.
"The pilots are fine. Yeah," Trump said. "Nobody injured. We are going to issue a report tomorrow. But the pilots are fine."
Trump also expressed renewed optimism over negotiations with Iran.
"We have a good chance" of signing a deal in "two or three days," Trump said. But he didn't provide any details on why there was reason for new optimism.
"We're very close to having a very, very good, strong, powerful deal," the President 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 have nothing left whatsoever. But you won't have the strait open for months."
He added: "If we do the bombing, you know, a lot of people are going to be killed. Who wants to do that? I don't."