ERBIL, Kurdistan region - A US helicopter crashed on Tuesday in the Strait of Hormuz, with the American authorities stating that the pilots have been rescued.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, according to the New York Times, but it comes at a sensitive time as the US and Iran are expected to finalize a deal that could potentially end the conflict between the two countries.
US President Donald Trump said that the pilots are “fine,” according to the Associated Press.
The crash comes one day after Iran and Israel agreed to a cessation of hostilities under President Trump's pressure. Iran and Israel exchanged fire for 24 hours on Sunday after Israel bombed southern Beirut, a stronghold of Iran’s ally Hezbollah, to which Iran responded with several barrages of ballistic missiles and one-way drones.
Despite the flare-up between Israel and Iran, Trump said that negotiations were active and "we're trying to finish it up."
The US and Israel began an extensive campaign on February 28 against Iran, which lasted for nearly six weeks. The warring parties agreed to a ceasefire on April 8, and since then, they have tried to negotiate a ceasefire.
The US imposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports on April 13 after Iran shut down the strategic waterway.
Since then, the US Central Command has turned around 134 vessels, disabled seven non-compliant vessels, and allowed 42 vessels
