ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Washington must, “of necessity,” respond to an Iranian attack that allegedly shot down an American Apache helicopter while it was patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz.

“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 Truth social platform.

“The United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack,” he stressed.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced earlier on Tuesday that two crew members were rescued after a US military helicopter crashed near the coast of Oman on Monday, adding that the cause of the crash is being investigated.

“At 7:33 p.m. ET on June 8, two crew members from a US Army AH-64 Apache were rescued by American forces after their helicopter went down near the coast of Oman while patrolling regional waters,” read the CENTCOM statement.

Trump said that the two pilots involved are both “safe and uninjured.”

The development comes as the US continues its naval blockade on Iranian ports in response to Iran’s closure of the key Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran and Washington appear to be on the brink of an agreement to end their conflict that began in late February, with a brief re-ignition of hostilities between Iran and Israel on Sunday that risked jeopardizing the progress, ultimately resolved.