Iran shot down 'highly sophisticated' attack helicopter, Trump says
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Sean Mathews
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Tue, 06/09/2026 - 18:50
US president vows to respond to downing of aircraft in Hormuz strait just after saying a deal to end Iran war is days away
An Israeli Air Force AH-64 Apache attack helicopter fires rockets while flying at a position along the border between northern Israel and southern Lebanon on 4 March 2026 (Jalaa Marey/AFP)
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Iran shot down a “highly sophisticated” Apache attack helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz, US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday, underscoring how, contrary to the US leader’s previous claims, Iran retains air defence capabilities.
“I have just been informed by our Great Military that last night the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache Helicopters while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote on social media.
“There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond,” Trump added.
The fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran has been marred by fighting, and resuming strikes would be a pivot for Trump, who intervened days ago to stop fighting between Israel and Iran.
Just before his social media post on Tuesday, Trump said that a deal to end the war could be reached “in two or three days”. He has made similar statements dozens of times - to no avail.
The recent flare-ups in fighting have already discredited Trump’s repeated messaging that Iran’s military is “gone”.
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“We've done all of it; their navy is gone. Their air force is gone. Their missiles are just about used up or beaten,” Trump said in April.
But Iran fired missiles at northern Israel this week in response to Israeli attacks on Beirut, Lebanon. Iran also responded to US attacks last week by launching drone and missile strikes on Kuwait and Bahrain.
Likewise, Trump’s admission that Iran was able to shoot down a “highly sophisticated” attack helicopter appears to defy his statement that the Islamic Republic’s air defences have been totally annihilated.
"They have no anti-aircraft equipment. Their radar is 100 percent annihilated,” Trump said in April.
The US has a far superior conventional military than Iran and has generally been able to strike targets at will, using air, sea and ground-launched weapons systems. However, Iran has shown that it can frustrate the US's freedom of action in its skies.
Iran downed an F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet in April, sparking a massive US search and rescue operation to prevent Iran from taking one of the downed US airmen prisoner. Iran has also shot down around 30 MQ-9 Reaper Drones.
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