A U.S. Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopter crashed early Tuesday near the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway that Iran has effectively closed amid the ongoing war.
President Donald Trump confirmed the incident, stating that both crew members were rescued and are in stable condition. The crash occurred around 3:30 a.m.
local time off the coast of Oman during a routine patrol, according to a statement from U.S. Central Command.
The crew was rescued within two hours.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. The Apache helicopters have been a key asset for the U.S.
military in enforcing a blockade on Iranian crude oil shipments, aiming to pressure Tehran into a diplomatic resolution. The United Arab Emirates has also used these helicopters to shoot down Iranian drones during the conflict.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, following an exchange of fire between Iran and Israel the previous day, which marked the most significant blow to the fragile ceasefire in the Iran war. Iranian state television reported that Israeli attacks killed at least two members of Iran's air defense units.
Since the U.S. and Israel began strikes on Iran on Feb.
28, the war has disrupted the global economy, driving up energy prices and increasing the cost of basic goods.
Efforts to convert the April ceasefire into a permanent peace deal have stalled, particularly as Israel intensifies its military campaign in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia. On Tuesday, the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning for the southern port city of Tyre, including its Christian quarter, which had previously been spared from airstrikes.
The Lebanese army has deployed to the area to prevent attacks and demonstrate that Hezbollah has no armed presence there.
President Trump, speaking to reporters at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York after watching the NBA Finals, expressed renewed optimism about negotiations with Iran.
"We have a good chance" of signing a deal in "two or three days," he said, though he provided no details. Trump has repeatedly predicted a deal is near since the initial ceasefire.
He warned that continued bombing would leave Iran with "nothing left" but would also keep the Strait closed for months and cause many casualties.
Mediators, led primarily by Pakistan, have been working to broker a deal, but both sides remain entrenched. The U.S.
demands that Iran give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which survived American airstrikes in 2025. Iran refuses and seeks sanctions relief and the release of frozen assets before any final agreement, which Trump has rejected.
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf accused Trump of contradicting agreed-upon terms, saying the U.S. is "neither seeking a ceasefire nor dialogue."
Lebanon's army chief, Gen. Rodolphe Haykal, traveled to Pakistan on Tuesday to meet with Field Marshal Asim Munir, a key figure in the Iran-U.S.
talks. The visit comes as Lebanon's government takes a harder line on Hezbollah but remains unable to disarm the militia.
Hezbollah thanked Iran for attacking Israel "in defense of our Lebanese people," suggesting Lebanon should improve relations with Tehran.