US President Donald Trump blamed Iran for shooting down a US Apache helicopter patrolling the Strait of Hormuz and stated that the United States must respond. Two crew members aboard the helicopter were rescued and were confirmed safe and uninjured. The US military carried out strikes on Iran following the incident. Iran denied responsibility for the helicopter incident and said it would respond to US actions. Trump described the helicopter as 'highly sophisticated.' According to France24, Iran denied responsibility for the downing of the helicopter, and Iranian media reported explosions on Qeshm Island following US strikes. The rescue of the two crew members was conducted by an uncrewed surface drone operated by US 5th Fleet's Task Force 59, according to insurancebusinessmag.com. Alarabiya reported that the incident was initially described as a crash before being attributed to being shot down. Trump told the Wall Street Journal that the incident 'wasn’t a big deal' and that 'the pilot is fine.' The IDF chief said plans were underway to deal a more significant and severe blow to Iran after the latest fighting, according to Times of Israel. Iran’s parliamentary speaker threatened to terminate diplomatic relations with the US, according to Bluesky.