Trump Says US Pilots Safe After Helicopter Crash Near Strait of Hormuz Amid Fragile Iran-Israel Truce

Two US pilots involved in a helicopter crash near the Strait of Hormuz "are fine", President Donald Trump said on Tuesday, following a New York Times report that the crew of an Apache gunship had been rescued after the aircraft went down near the strategic waterway controlled by Iran.

The cause of the crash remains unclear. According to the report, it is not yet known whether the Apache was brought down by Iranian fire, suffered a mechanical failure, or encountered another issue.

The White House, the US State Department and US Central Command did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.

Speaking to reporters on the runway at John F. Kennedy International Airport before returning to Washington, D.C., Trump said more details would be released later in the day.

"The pilots are fine," Trump said. "Nobody injured."

The incident occurred a day after Iran and Israel announced they had halted attacks on each other following an appeal from Trump. However, Tehran warned it could resume hostilities if Israel continued targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The fragile ceasefire comes as Washington attempts to negotiate an agreement with Tehran to bring an end to the conflict that has stretched beyond three months.

Trump also said he could have "an idea" for an Iran deal within the next few days, though he offered no further details. The Republican president, facing record-low approval ratings ahead of November’s midterm elections, has repeatedly signalled that an agreement with Tehran may be close, though no deal has materialised.

The latest escalation marked the most direct confrontation between Iran and Israel since the ceasefire reached in April.

Late on Sunday, Tehran launched missiles towards Israeli territory, describing the attack as retaliation for strikes on the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia on the outskirts of Beirut.

Israel responded by targeting Iranian air defence systems and a petrochemical facility it said was linked to ballistic missile production. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps later said it carried out a retaliatory strike on a similar Israeli facility in Haifa.

No deaths were reported by authorities on either side.

Trump also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, according to US and Israeli officials.

In an interview with Axios, Trump said he warned Netanyahu against resuming war with Iran.

"I said, 'Bibi, you better be careful, or you will be on your own very soon,'" Trump said.

An Israeli military official said operations would continue for "as long as it takes", while Iranian officials signalled readiness for a prolonged conflict.

A military source quoted by the semi-official Tasnim news agency said Tehran remained prepared to escalate and could renew strikes against US interests in the region.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran was communicating with Washington in an atmosphere of "extreme suspicion."

Iran has long maintained that any peace agreement with the United States depends partly on an end to fighting in Lebanon, where Israel launched operations in March against Hezbollah fighters operating near the border.

Israel has continued its military campaign in Lebanon, saying it remains separate from any US-Iran ceasefire, while Hezbollah has also maintained attacks.

Tehran has continued to restrict much of the shipping passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a route that carried roughly one-fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas exports before the conflict. Washington, meanwhile, has maintained restrictions on Iranian ports.

Trump has said any future agreement must prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. Tehran’s demands include the removal of international sanctions, access to frozen assets worth billions of dollars, and recognition of its control over the strait.

(Reuters reported)