US Apache helicopter downed over Strait of Hormuz; Trump Threatens Retaliation

A US Army AH-64 Apache helicopter went down over the Strait of Hormuz early Tuesday, and President Donald Trump has vowed to respond casting fresh doubt on a fragile ceasefire in the wider US-Iranian war in the Gulf.

"I have just been informed by our great military that last night the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache Helicopters while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz," Trump wrote on Truth Social. He said both pilots were rescued and uninjured, but added: "The United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack."

US Central Command confirmed the AH-64 Apache went down at around 3 a.m. Tuesday local time. A Navy surface drone located and rescued both crew members. CENTCOM said the cause of the crash is still under investigation. Iran has not accepted responsibility.

The Apache is the first of its kind lost in the war, which began on 28 February. Since then, Iran has downed around 30 US MQ-9 Reaper drones, and several US fighter jets have been lost to hostile and friendly fire. The US military has deployed Apaches alongside Reaper drones and F/A-18 and F-35 aircraft as part of an aggressive Central Command campaign to counter Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz to most commercial shipping.

The downing came just one day after Israel and Iran said they would halt direct strikes on each other, following an appeal by Trump. That announcement was already under strain: Iran had warned it would resume hostilities if Israel continued attacking Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Israel's military chief Eyal Zamir said on Tuesday that the previous day's strike against Iran was "in preparation for a much more significant and heavy blow" and that Israel was "prepared to return and deliver another severe and deep strike."

In Lebanon, Israel struck the historic port city of Tyre on Tuesday, killing at least eight people in a single strike on the city's eastern edge the deadliest attack on the city since fighting erupted in Lebanon in early March. Israel had earlier issued an evacuation order; residents fled and civil defence teams moved elderly people to shelters.

Trump, speaking to reporters, said he might have "an idea" for an Iran deal within days, without elaborating. He also told Axios he had warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: "Bibi, you better be careful, or you will be on your own very soon."

Iran's conditions for any peace deal include the lifting of international sanctions, the release of frozen assets, and recognition of its control of the Strait of Hormuz. Trump has said any deal must guarantee Iran cannot develop a nuclear weapon. Tehran has also continued to block most shipping through the strait, which before the war carried a fifth of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas.

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Tuesday that ship traffic through Hormuz is rising, but acknowledged it would take many months to return to normal once the war ends.