Overview
- On Monday an Army AH‑64 Apache crashed near the Strait of Hormuz off Oman and both crew members were rescued and evacuated in stable condition, CENTCOM said.
- U.S. military officials say the cause is under investigation and have not publicly confirmed whether the helicopter was shot down or suffered mechanical failure.
- President Trump publicly blamed Iran for shooting down the Apache and called for a U.S. response, a claim that preceded official confirmation of a shootdown.
- U.S. forces carried out strikes that CENTCOM and a U.S. official said hit nearly 20 Iranian air‑defence, ground control and radar targets, and Iran reported retaliatory rocket and drone strikes on U.S.‑linked sites.
- The crash is the first Apache lost in the current conflict and follows earlier U.S. losses of Reaper drones and fighters, a pattern that complicates operations to keep the strategic Strait of Hormuz open and strains diplomatic efforts.