US President Donald Trump pledged retaliation on Tuesday after accusing Iran of shooting down a US military Apache helicopter the previous night over the Strait of Hormuz, hours after Trump told reporters that negotiations to end the Middle East conflict were entering their final stages.
“The United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack,” Trump said in a statement, adding that the crash did not injure crew members.
Iran’s parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also issued a sharp warning on Tuesday. “We prefer the language of diplomacy, but we speak other languages far more fluently,” he wrote on X. “Break your commitments, and we’ll switch to what we speak best.”
The Apache is the second crewed US aircraft that Washington has confirmed Iran shot down during the war, following the loss of an F-15 fighter jet in April.
Ceasefire Under Strain
The downing represents the latest threat to a fragile ceasefire in place since 8 April, with both sides working to negotiate a permanent end to hostilities, as the conflict itself began on 28 February, when US and Israeli forces struck Iran, triggering a cycle of retaliatory attacks.
Iran insists that any final settlement must include a truce in Lebanon, where Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel on 2 March. Israel responded with a major air campaign and ground invasion that has killed more than 3,600 people, while exchanges with Hezbollah continue despite an ongoing truce.
On Sunday, Iran fired missiles at Israel in response to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah positions in south Beirut. Israel struck back, despite Trump’s efforts to dissuade Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu subsequently said the “fire on that front is contained,” though both sides reserved the right to resume hostilities.
Trump, nevertheless, signaled confidence in the diplomatic track. “Iran and Israel were going back and forth, and now they both agreed through me to stop,” he told reporters. “We’re in the final throes of what will be a very, very good deal.” He said a resolution could come within “two or three days.”
