June 9 (UPI) — Two U.S. Army helicopter crew members were rescued and brought to safety within two hours after their Apache gunship crashed near the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. President Donald Trump said early Tuesday that the two service personnel were “fine” and promised a report on the incident would be released in the next 24 hours or so.
U.S. Central Command said the pair were in a stable condition with spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins telling NBC News that a Task Force 59 unmanned surface vessel found and recovered the soldiers — the first time the U.S. military had carried out such an operation with a drone boat.
A source told the New York Times that it was yet to be established whether the aircraft came under Iranian fire, sustained a technical malfunction or encountered another issue.
The loss of a Hellfire missile-armed AH-64 Apache — which patrol the strait, downing Iranian drones and preventing small boats from attacking shipping — is a first for the U.S. military since the conflict started Feb. 28.
At least eight U.S. fighter jets and other military aircraft, plus more than two dozen uncrewed aerial vehicles, have been lost in both enemy and friendly-fire incidents but Monday’s crash was the first loss of a helicopter.
The Apaches play a key tactical role alongside F/A-18 and F-35s fighter aircraft in U.S. Central Command’s mission to counter the blockade of the vital international shipping route, which Iran has effectively put out of bounds to the vast majority of oil tankers and other commercial vessels.
However, the helicopters have been patrolling closer to Iran, including its islands in the Hormuz Strait and Persian Gulf, as part of Centcom’s effort to maintain the pressure on Tehran amid protracted negotiations to resolve the 100-day-long conflict.
Tehran did not immediately claim responsibility for the incident, according to Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency.
The confirmation from the U.S. side came hours after Iran and Israel sides paused airstrikes on each other at the request of U.S. President Donald Trump, who urged them to “stop shooting” because an agreement with Tehran to end the war was very close.
“We’re in the final throes of what will be a very, very good deal that will not allow in any way, shape, or form nuclear weapons. The strait will open up right away.
Trump said the Strait of Hormuz would reopen to international shipping immediately after the agreement was signed, which could be before the weekend, adding that there was a chance it could be far earlier, “in one hour, if you want to know the truth.”
