The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has rejected reports in Iranian state media claiming that a US Navy MH-60R helicopter crashed into the Red Sea after declaring an emergency.In a post on X on October 6, CENTCOM fact-checked the claim, saying reports of a downed US Navy helicopter in the Red Sea were false. It also said all US military aircraft and personnel across the Middle East were “safe and accounted for”.
What did CENTCOM say about the helicopter?
CENTCOM said Iranian state media had been pushing “false reports” that a US Navy MH-60R helicopter crashed in the Red Sea after declaring an emergency the previous night.“Reports of a downed US Navy helicopter in the Red Sea are not true,” CENTCOM said in its post, adding that all US military aircraft and personnel across the Middle East were safe and accounted for.The clarification came after Iranian state media outlets, including Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), reported that an American naval aircraft operating over the Red Sea had transmitted squawk code 7700, an international transponder signal indicating a general emergency.IRIB had claimed that an MH-60R helicopter belonging to the US Navy crashed in the Red Sea after declaring the emergency code. Iran’s Tasnim News Agency also reported that flight-tracking data showed the helicopter flying at an altitude of around 475 feet when the emergency was declared.According to the reports, the helicopter’s displayed altitude later dropped to zero before it disappeared from the tracking service. CENTCOM, however, rejected the reports and said there had been no US Navy helicopter crash in the Red Sea.The denial comes amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict and reports of significant US military aircraft losses during the war. A Congressional Research Service report has listed losses involving US planes, drones and helicopters, including an F-35A Lightning II and F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets.At least 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones have also reportedly been lost during the conflict.Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has said the war with Iran could end soon, with the outcome depending on whether it happens the “nice way” or the “not-so-nice way”.Speaking in Maryland, Trump said the US was doing “extremely well” in Iran and described the country as the former “bully of the Middle East”.“Our Navy is leading the way in ensuring that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said, reiterating that Iran would not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.