Trump blames Iran for downing of army helicopter and says US must respond

US president says crew members are ‘safe and uninjured’ after attack near strait of Hormuz early on Tuesday

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Donald Trump has blamed Iran for downing a US army helicopter near the strait of Hormuz, warning that the US would be forced to respond to the attack.

The US army Apache helicopter gunship crashed off the coast of Oman early on Tuesday, according to US Central Command. The two crew members were later rescued in an unprecedented operation using an unmanned drone boat, the military said.