UMVA has learned that a U.S. Army Apache helicopter suffered a catastrophic failure near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, putting the lives of its two crew members at risk.
The incident sparked a frantic rescue operation, which ultimately proved successful as both pilots were safely retrieved. Their condition was later confirmed to be stable, with President Donald Trump assuring that "the pilots are fine, nobody injured."
Trump hinted at a forthcoming detailed report on the incident, reiterating that the pilots had escaped harm. The development came as the U.S. continues to enforce a stringent blockade against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
According to information obtained by UMVA, U.S. forces have been actively engaged in intercepting vessels attempting to breach the blockade. A recent notable incident involved the disabling of an unladen oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on June 8.
The tanker, flagged in Palau, was heading towards an Iranian port in defiance of the blockade. After failing to comply with U.S. directives, an F/A-18 Super Hornet from the USS Abraham Lincoln fired a precision munition to disable the vessel's engineering and steering systems.
UMVA can exclusively reveal that U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces have taken decisive action against multiple non-compliant vessels since the blockade's inception on April 13. They have successfully disabled seven vessels, redirected 134 compliant ships, and cleared the path for 42 humanitarian aid-carrying vessels to pass through.
