The Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, on Monday. [AP]
The Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, on Monday. [AP]

Iran warned Wednesday that it would respond decisively if the United States resumed hostilities using a helicopter crash as a pretext.

An Iranian military source said there would be a resolute response if the crash of a US Apache helicopter was used as a pretext to restart hostilities, Iranian state media reported, according to Reuters. The source added that no air force attack operations had taken place in the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours.

The warning came shortly after President Donald Trump claimed the Apache helicopter had been shot down by Iran and suggested retaliation was possible. Iran has neither confirmed nor denied the claim.

The New York Times reported Tuesday that a US Army Apache helicopter had crashed near the Strait of Hormuz and that both crew members had been rescued safely.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi subsequently wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that "foreign forces near our territory are always exposed to the risk of their own human error, accidents, or potentially getting caught up in hostilities," adding that "the best solution to reduce the risk is for them to leave."


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