What happened
The US military has disputed a claim by Iran that an American Navy helicopter crashed in the Red Sea. The claim, made by Iranian state-run media outlets, stated that a Navy MH-60R helicopter declared an emergency before crashing near Saudi Arabia. However, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) released a statement saying that all US military aircraft and personnel in the Middle East are safe and accounted for.
CENTCOM described the reports of a downed helicopter as untrue. The statement came after Iran's semi-official Tasnim News reported that the helicopter had crashed, citing publicly available flight-tracking data. The US military has maintained a blockade against Iran, which has resulted in 130 vessels being redirected to or from the country.
Tensions between the US and Iran remain high, with the two countries engaged in a conflict that began in February. The conflict has caused oil and gasoline prices to remain elevated, with the US Energy Information Administration raising its oil price forecast for this year and next.
