Pilots ‘are fine’ after U.S. military helicopter goes down over Strait of Hormuz, Trump says

A U.S. military helicopter flying over the Strait of Hormuz went down Monday, but the two pilots on board “are fine,” President Donald Trump said.

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It’s unclear why the aircraft went down over the major shipping waterway, which has been a point of contention between the United States and Iran during their ongoing war.

Trump, speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One early Tuesday, said “the pilots are fine” and that no one was injured in the incident.

“We are going to issue a report tomorrow,” he said, “but the pilots are fine, yeah.”

The incident was first reported by the New York Times.

The strait, through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply normally crosses, has remained virtually closed since the start of the war amid Iran’s blockade.

The council of the European Union on Monday alleged Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy “undermines freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz by enforcing a toll system and by threatening, harassing, and attacking multiple commercial vessels in the region.”

Trump has vowed to keep the vital shipping lane.

Speaking Tuesday about a potential peace deal with Iran, he told reporters that, “We’re in the final throes of what will be a very, very good deal that will not allow in any way, shape or form nuclear weapons.”

He added: “The strait will open up right away. It’ll open up immediately upon signing, which could be in two or three days.”