US president says although the pilots were rescued, Washington ‘must, of necessity, respond to this attack’.President Donald Trump has accused Iran of shooting down a United States military helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz, saying that he will respond to the attack.“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 in a social media post on Tuesday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list“There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack.”Trump’s latest threat risks rupturing an April 8 truce that paused the US-Israel war against Iran, though that agreement has already been pushed to the brink by repeated skirmishes across the region.The Middle East-based Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees US military operations in the region, had said earlier that the cause of the incident was under investigation.“The Soldiers were safely rescued within approximately two hours and are in stable condition,” CENTCOM said.Iran has not confirmed or denied downing the helicopter, but in an apparent response to Trump’s claim, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called on US forces to withdraw from the region.“The Strait of Hormuz is NOT international waters but shared between Iran and Oman, and located thousands of miles away from US shores. Maritime boundaries are crystal clear,” Araghchi said in a statement.“Our Powerful Armed Forces are on constant alert for any violation of Iran’s airspace, land or waters. Forei …
