A U.S. military helicopter flying over the Strait of Hormuz went down Monday, but the two pilots on board “are fine,” President Donald Trump said.
It’s unclear why the aircraft went down over the crucial waterway, which has been a major flashpoint between the United States and Iran throughout the war.
Trump, speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One early Tuesday, said “the pilots are fine” and that no one was injured in the incident.
“We are going to issue a report tomorrow,” he said, “but the pilots are fine, yeah.”
The incident was first reported by the New York Times, citing two people briefed on the incident.
Trump was speaking hours after Iran and Israel exchanged their first direct attacks since the April truce, threatening a return to all-out war in the Middle East. The adversaries later stepped away from the clash.
Iran has maintained a stranglehold on the strait, through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply normally crosses, since the U.S. and Israel launched the war.
Trump has vowed to restore traffic through the vital shipping lane as part of a deal to end the war.
Speaking Tuesday about a potential deal with Iran, he told reporters that, “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.”
He added: “The strait will open up right away. It’ll open up immediately upon signing, which could be in two or three days.”
Trump has repeatedly suggested the two sides are close to a deal in the weeks since they agreed to a ceasefire, but so far no agreement has materialized.
