live Trump Says Iran Shot Down Apache Helicopter And That US Must Respond

US President Donald Trump has said that Iran shot down a US Army Apache helicopter while it was patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz, adding that Washington would be compelled to respond.

In a post on Truth Social on June 9, Trump said he had been informed by the US military that "the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache Helicopters" and that "the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack." He added that the two pilots aboard the aircraft were "safe and uninjured."

Earlier, US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that two crew members had been rescued after an AH-64 Apache helicopter went down near the coast of Oman while patrolling regional waters.

The US military said the soldiers were recovered within about two hours and were in stable condition, but noted that the cause of the incident remained under investigation.

Before Trump's post, sources briefed on the matter had told reporters it was unclear whether the helicopter had been hit by Iranian fire, suffered a mechanical failure, or experienced another problem.

The US Embassy in Jerusalem says it has lifted its shelter-in-place order for American government employees and their families "as a result of changes to the current security situation in Israel."

The restrictions were imposed on June 8 after Iran launched missiles at Israel and fears grew that the confrontation between the two countries could escalate further.

As Israel eases civil-defense restrictions following the latest hostilities, the embassy said in a statement that its consular sections in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv would reopen for routine and emergency services on June 10.

The announcement on June 9 came after Iran halted missile attacks launched in response to Israeli strikes during the escalating confrontation between the two countries. Israel has also signaled a pause in operations, though both sides have warned they could resume military action if attacked again.

Despite the easing of restrictions, the embassy said travel limits remain in place for US personnel in parts of northern Israel, near the Gaza Strip and along sections of the Egyptian border, as well as in most of the West Bank.

Ben Gurion Airport remains operational, while US citizens were urged to continue monitoring security alerts and remain prepared for any renewed escalation.

The Tasnim news agency, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), reported that funeral was held on June 9 for two members of the army's air defense forces who were killed in Israeli attacks on Iran the day before.

The two soldiers were named as Bahman Hosseini and Alireza Abiri.

Tasnim confirmed that both Hosseini and Biri were members of the Air Defense Force of the Iranian Army and that they were killed on June 8 while "carrying out a mission."

Iran has not routinely announced news of casualties among its military forces during Israeli or American strikes on Iran.

On June 8, the head of Tehran's emergency department had announced that no one was injured in the Israeli attacks on the province.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) has confirmed an incident involving two pilots of a US Army Apache helicopter that crashed near the Strait of Hormuz.

"At 7:33 p.m. ET on June 8, two crew members from a US Army AH-64 Apache were rescued by American forces after their helicopter went down near the coast of Oman while patrolling regional waters." CENTCOM said in statement released on June 9.

"The Soldiers were safely rescued within approximately two hours and are in stable condition," the statement said, adding that the "cause of the incident is under investigation."

The Iranian soccer federation says that just a few days before the start of the World Cup, the ticket quota allocated to the federation has been "eliminated."

A statement issued by the sports body on June 9 that the move reflected the fact that "many Iranian football fans, relying on the officially announced process, had made the necessary plans in advance to attend the matches."

"Eight percent of the ticket capacity for each match will be allocated to the federations participating in the World Cup," said the federation, which "has accordingly begun the process of selling tickets for the national team's matches against New Zealand, Belgium, and Egypt through its official website."

The international soccer association, FIFA, and organizers of the 2026 World Cup -- which will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada starting this month -- have not yet reacted to this news.

The Iranian team's participation in this World Cup has been accompanied by multiple controversies.

Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey, finally confirmed on June 5 that visas had been issued to members of the Iranian national soccer team to participate in the World Cup in the United States.

The New York Times reported, citing four senior US government officials, that the applications of all 26 Iranian players had been accepted, but more than 10 members of the support staff and federation officials who were supposed to accompany the team were not allowed to enter the United States.

Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was determined to prevent Iran from trying to "plant" individuals associated with Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in the national soccer team's convoy to participate in the World Cup.

In May, several officials from Iran's soccer federation, including its president, Mehdi Taj, who had traveled to Canada to attend the FIFA Congress, encountered problems at the Toronto airport and were not allowed to enter the country.

WASHINGTON -- Just over three months of conflict in the Gulf has underscored the growing importance of mass-produced, low-cost weapons systems, particularly drones and munitions, and exposed the limitations of relying on expensive defensive technologies to counter them, according Nathan Diller, an executive at the defense tech firm Mach Industries.

Diller, who is also a retired US Air Force colonel, told RFE/RL in an interview late on June 8 The conflict has reinforced the urgency for allied nations to strengthen military-industrial supply chains and build greater manufacturing resilience, Diller added, drawing parallels with lessons emerging from Russia's war in Ukraine.

"When we look at low-cost drones and low-cost munitions being countered by very expensive things, this is a lesson we can't learn fast enough," said Diller, who served as assistant director of Aeronautics in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy during US President Donald Trump’s first term.

To read more, click here.

An Iranian official has warned that shortages of fuel in the country could lead to blackouts at power plants this summer.

Mehdi Masaeli, secretary of the Iranian Electricity Industry Syndicate, also said the agricultural sector has been without electricity for five hours a day for more than a month, and various industries will face one day of power outage a week.

Masaeli said on June 9 that the priority remains providing electricity to households and the industrial sector, and that staggering electricity to the agricultural sector has helped maintain stability of the network. Controlling these outages has prevented a more widespread loss of electricity to homes and businsses, he said.

According to official reports, about 13 to 14 percent of Iran's electricity consumption is related to the agricultural sector, about 40 percent to industry, and 35 percent to the domestic sector.

Masali said there is a lack of fuel for power plants, adding that if the problem of supplying gas to power plants is not resolved by the autumn then there will likely be electricity shortages by autumn and winter.

Government officials and energy experts have reported in recent weeks that the gas deficit in Iran has intensified and that Iran's gas imbalance has reached about 100 billion cubic meters.

US Vice President JD Vance said that the United States and Israel have different goals when it comes to dealing with Iran.

He told Fox News on June 8 that although the United States and Israel "share many common interests," their interests "also diverge" in some areas, particularly regarding Iran. He noted that Israel "clearly has its own goals," while the United States remains focused on ensuring that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon.

Vance argued that recent diplomacy has created the "necessary space" for a long-term agreement and said a future deal would differ from the 2015 nuclear accord because "there was no proper inspection system that would guarantee that the Iranians would never be able to build a nuclear weapon."

Addressing concerns about Iranian intentions, he remarked that "everyone is always trying to outplay the other side" in negotiations.

The United States wants to "verify in the long term that the Iranians are adhering to their commitments," Vance said, adding: "The Iranians don't want this war to continue; it's not in their interest." He said a successful agreement would be "a great victory for the American people."

US President Donald Trump said the pilots of a military helicopter that crashed near the Strait of Hormuz are "fine."

The incident, first reported by The New York Times, involved a US Army Apache helicopter, with the two crew members safely rescued, according to two people briefed on the matter.

It remains unclear whether the helicopter was struck by Iranian fire, suffered a mechanical failure, or experienced another issue, one of the sources told NYT, speaking on condition of anonymity and noting the incident is under investigation.

Trump, speaking to reporters at John F. Kennedy International Airport after attending the NBA Finals in New York, also said the US government would release a report on the incident on June 9.

We are now closing the live blog for the day. We'll be back at 7:30 a.m. Central European time to cover the latest events across the Middle East.