US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday Iran had shot down a US Apache helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz and vowed to respond, deepening doubts about prospects for peace between the two countries.
The two US pilots involved in the incident were uninjured, and American forces rescued both soldiers within about two hours of the crash.
The Apache helicopter, which costs between $52 million to $100 million, has been used by the US military against Iranian small boats in the region.
The AH-64 Apache first entered service in 1984 and has flown for over 5.3 million hours, with more than 1.3 million hours flown during combat missions.
The cause of the incident is still under investigation, and authorities have not confirmed whether the helicopter was shot down by Iranian forces or suffered a mechanical problem.
