Trump says Iran downed Apache helicopter, ‘US must respond to attack’

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jun 10, 2026 12:18 AM IST

Donald Trump's claim came hours after he said the two US crew onboard the downed helicopter were safely rescued. (Photo: X/ US Central Command)

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened Iran with retaliation after informing that an American military’s Apache helicopter was shot down by Tehran while it was patrolling the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump, in a post on Truth Social, wrote “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.”

pic.twitter.com/MIMe9P9eg2

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 9, 2026

Issuing threat of retaliation to Iran, the US President wrote, “There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack.”

The US Central Command earlier said two crew members from a US Army AH-64 Apache were rescued by American forces after their helicopter went down while patrolling regional waters near the coast of Oman.

https://t.co/k6NzVz3G5t

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 9, 2026

The Central Command, in a post on X wrote, “The Soldiers were safely rescued within approximately two hours and are in stable condition. The cause of the incident is under investigation,” adding “Rescue efforts were led by US Naval Forces Central Command and the 82nd Airborne Division, with support from US Air Force and Navy units.”

This is reportedly America’s first loss of Apache helicopter since the war with Iran began in February and comes after Trump earlier said that deal with Tehran will come “in another three days” and that Washington was “in the final throes” of securing a peace agreement to end the over 100 days regional conflict.

Minutes before Trump’s message, Iran’s top negotiator and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on social media that Tehran prefers “language of diplomacy” but added that the country “speaks other languages far more fluently.”

The recent escalation of hostilities between Iran and Israel was mediated and paused allegedly after the US President’s intervention, when he called on both the warring nations to “immediately stop shooting” and “look for an immediate ceasefire.”

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