US President Donald Trump on Tuesday downplayed the downing of a US Apache helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz.
In a phone call with The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, Trump said the incident "wasn't a big deal" and stressed that "the pilot is fine."
The comments came despite the fact that Trump struck a defiant tone earlier in the day, saying Iran had shot down the American helicopter and that the US would respond to that 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. There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack," he wrote on Truth Social.
Capt. Tim Hawkins, spokesman for US Central Command (CENTCOM), said the Apache crew spent two hours in the water as darkness fell. One senior US official, quoted by The Wall Street Journal, described the crew's escape from the downed aircraft as a "hand of God" moment.
Trump also told WSJ the US naval blockade was making Iran "very poor" and said he would keep it in place as long as necessary.
The President is still seeking a deal with Iran which would end the Islamic Republic’s nuclear ambitions. On Monday, Trump said that the US will declare “total victory" over Iran in about two weeks.
“Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and it's as simple as that. They cannot have, the destruction is so powerful, they cannot have a nuclear weapon. And Lindsey has been fighting with me all the way, all the way for that," Trump said in comments on the phone, as part of a rally supporting Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
“We've been a very tough team, and I think we are winning that battle, but you're really going to win it over the next two weeks when we declare total victory. It'll be a total victory. It'll happen very soon. And oil prices will come tumbling down," he added.