An Apache helicopter belonging to the US Army encountered a mishap over the Strait of Hormuz, crashing during its flight. This incident unfolded amid President Trump’s optimistic remarks about a potential US-Iran peace agreement, suggesting that Washington might declare a “total victory” within a fortnight.
The pilots of the downed helicopter gunship were promptly rescued on Monday, with President Trump assuring journalists at JFK Airport that the crew members were unharmed. “Nobody injured. We are going to issue a report tomorrow,” he stated, providing some relief in the tense situation.
At present, the cause of the Apache helicopter’s crash remains uncertain. There is no confirmation yet whether it was a result of hostile fire or if it suffered a mechanical failure, as reported by the New York Times.
While speaking to reporters on the airport’s tarmac, President Trump expressed that negotiations between the US and Iran are nearing a peaceful resolution. This development comes over three months following the initiation of US-Israeli military actions against Tehran, signaling a potential shift towards diplomatic dialogue.
Trump told reporters on the tarmac that the US and Iran are close to agreeing a peace deal – more than three months after the US-Israel attacks on Tehran started.
“If we go and bomb, which we can do very easily if we want, and we spend another two or three weeks bombing, they’ll have nothing left whatsoever,” Trump, who was in New York watching the New York Knicks lose to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, said.
“But you won’t have the strait open for months,” he said. “If we do the bombing, a lot of people are going to be killed. Who wants to do that? I don’t.”
He told a tele-rally just hours before that the US will be able to declare “total victory” in two weeks.
“You’re really going to win it over the next two weeks when we declare total victory. It will be a total victory and it will happen very soon.”
Trump’s bullish comments come days after the most direct confrontation between Iran and Israel since the cease-fire came into force in April.
Tehran had fired missiles towards Israeli territory late on Sunday, calling the strikes retaliation for attacks on the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia on the outskirts of Beirut.
Israel then hit Iranian air defence systems and a petrochemical plant that it said was used to produce ballistic missiles.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it retaliated with a strike aimed at a similar Israeli plant in the city of Haifa.
Trump called on the Middle Eastern enemies to lay down the weapons, ordering the two countries to “stop shooting.”
Iran’s joint military command then said it was halting offensive operations against Israel — but issued a blistering warning to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The joint command warned that if Israel or its allies carried out any further “aggression and hostile acts,” including against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, “much more severe and crushing measures than before will follow.”
With Post wires