Trump says Iran downed US Apache helicopter over Strait of Hormuz

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Iranian forces shot down a U.S. Army Apache helicopter while it patrolled the Strait of Hormuz overnight, vowing that the United States "must respond" to the attack.

The downing threatens to unravel the April 8 ceasefire between Israel and Iran, which was already under strain Monday as both sides exchanged direct strikes — raising the prospect of a wider U.S.-Iran military confrontation in the Persian 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 in a social media post Tuesday, according to The Korea Times.

The AH-64 Apache went down around 3 a.m. Tuesday local time — 2300 GMT Monday — while on a patrol mission over the strategic waterway separating Iran and Oman. Both crew members were located and rescued by a U.S. Navy surface drone, U.S. Central Command said.

"Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack," Trump said in a follow-up statement, signaling a potential military reply without specifying what form it would take.

The incident unfolded as the April 8 truce between Israel and Iran was already coming apart. Monday saw renewed direct exchanges of fire between Israeli and Iranian forces, and Iranian air defense personnel were killed in Israeli strikes that day. No Israeli casualties were reported from Iranian fire, Reuters said.

The helicopter's loss marks one of the most direct military confrontations between the United States and Iran in recent years, deepening anxiety across a region already strained by months of conflict.

U.S. Central Command had not released additional details about the helicopter incident as of Tuesday, Reuters reported. The White House did not specify a timeline or form for any planned response.