US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the pilots of a United States Army Apache helicopter gunship that went down near the Strait of Hormuz "are fine."
Speaking on the runway at John F. Kennedy International Airport before returning to Washington, D.C., Trump said there was "nobody injured," adding that the US will release an incident report later on Tuesday.
It was not immediately clear whether the Apache was shot down by Iranian fire, experienced mechanical failure, or encountered some other problem. The New York Times reported earlier on Tuesday, citing two people briefed on the incident.
According to the NYT, Apache helicopters, as well as fighter jets and drones, have been used by US Central Command (CENTCOM) as part of US efforts to break Iran's blockade on the Hormuz.
The report added that this is the first instance of a downed Apache since hostilities between the US and Iran began in February, with the Islamic Republic claiming to have shot down 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones in the same time frame.
The Apaches are generally used for patrol purposes, but have been pushing deeper into Iran in an effort to project a more aggressive posture by CENTCOM, the NYT noted.
CENTCOM announced on Sunday that they had shot down two Iranian drones threatening international maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, adding that the US military remains "postured and ready to continue defending against Iranian aggression."
Trump: Iran's military 'totally destroyed'
Trump told NBC on Saturday that Iran's military had been "totally destroyed" by joint US-Israeli strikes, with the Islamic regime retaining only 21% of its missile capacity.
However, the US has still suffered losses during the conflict, with CENTCOM announcing in April the deaths of 13 American soldiers during Operation Epic Fury, with a further 399 wounded.
Also in April, Iran managed to shoot down a US Air Force F-15 Eagle, resulting in an intense manhunt for the pilot and navigator of the aircraft, both of whom were rescued.
In addition, three US F-15s were shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses in March in a friendly-fire incident, with all six crewmembers safely ejecting.
