Trump warns of retaliation after Iran downs American aircraft

In a fresh escalation in the Iran war on Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced that Tehran downed an advanced American military aircraft and promised military retaliation. Taking to his Truth Social account, Trump wrote, "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." The President informed that the two pilots involved were both safe and uninjured. "The United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack," Trump warned.

The latest escalation is being seen as a direct violation of a fragile ceasefire that was put in place and further diminishes the prospects of a peace agreement between the United States, Israel, and Iran. Over the last week, several skirmishes resulting primarily from disagreements over the Israeli offensive in Lebanon had already pushed the strengths of the ceasefire to its limits. However, President Trump had assured that the ceasefire was still in place, saying the violations were not surprising in the Middle East. "In that part of the world, ceasefire is when you're shooting in a more moderate manner," he had said. 

Both the President and his Cabinet members have, even till 24 hours ago, asserted that Iran was close to signing a deal with the U.S. The statements came despite Iran announcing that it would be suspending talks over "ceasefire violations." Last week, President Trump gave mixed signals about ongoing negotiations. Speaking at a farmers' roundtable in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, on Friday, Trump claimed the conflict was largely over. "It's either finished with a piece of paper," he told the crowd, "or in a more difficult way—although you could say a much easier way." 

On Tuesday, moments before the President's Truth Social post, Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, wrote that Tehran prefers "the language of diplomacy, but we speak other languages far more fluently." "Break your commitments, and we'll switch to what we speak best," he added. 

Qalibaf's post came after Iran targeted and downed the helicopter last night, suggesting that Tehran was planning more attacks on U.S. and U.S.-allied targets. Meanwhile, Israel, too, has indicated that it is prepared to wage a "deep strike" on Iran. The Israeli army's chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, said that the attack on Iran's Mahshahr Petrochemical Complex was in “preparation for a much more significant and severe blow."