Trump claims Iran shooting down US helicopter with 2 pilots ‘wasn’t a big deal’ — after vowing retaliation, by #NYP

President Trump said Tuesday the US “must respond” after Iran shot down an Apache attack helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz, leaving a two-month-old cease-fire hanging by a thread after Trump claimed a deal was just “two or three days away.”

“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 wrote on Truth Social.

“There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack,” he added.

Trump previously stated that he would strike Iran — and potentially even return to full-scale war — if Tehran struck and killed American troops. 

The president, however, later appeared to downplay the incident, telling the Wall Street Journal that the Monday incident “wasn’t a big deal” since the pilots were uninjured.  

The president did not elaborate, only adding that the details are “much different” than what is currently known to the public. 

The retaliatory strikes would likely focus on targets along the Strait of Hormuz — particularly any sites where Iran has launched or houses drones and other weapons, sources familiar with military planning told The Post. 

Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, warned Trump that the Islamic Republic would respond in kind to whatever approach the US takes next.  

“We prefer the language of diplomacy, but we speak other languages far more fluently. Break your commitments, and we’ll switch to what we speak best,” Ghalibaf said in a statement. 

“You ride the horse you saddled!”