Middle East Crisis Iran War

American helicopter crashes near the Strait of Hormuz

A US helicopter crashed on Tuesday off the coast of Oman, near the blocked Strait of Hormuz. Two crew members were on board but were rescued and taken to safety, according to the US military.

– The pilots are doing well, no one was injured, says President Donald Trump.

It is still unclear what caused the accident, but according to the military, the helicopter was on patrol when the incident occurred.

The helicopter was an Apache model and it is the first time the US has lost such a craft since the war with Iran began.

Analysis: 37th time Trump claims a deal is close

After Iran and Israel attacked each other, Donald Trump announced that a peace deal is now very close. Anyone who thinks they have heard that message before is absolutely right. CNN's Aaron Blake has calculated that Trump has said the same thing 37 times since the ceasefire came into effect on April 7.

Blake does not believe that the parties are close to a peace agreement.

"But Trump keeps saying it, either because he is out of touch with reality, to calm the markets or in the hope that it will become true if he says it often enough."

Sally Lockwood on Sky News is on the same track. She also notes that Trump's message has been heard several times before.

- Now that we have seen how quickly things can change and how quickly it can escalate, it really feels like wishful thinking.

David M Halbfinger of the New York Times is a little surprised that Benjamin Netanyahu defied Trump's call not to attack Iran. The Israeli prime minister may have made the decision partly for domestic political reasons, he believes. Israel is going to the polls this fall.

“Standing up to Trump was important for Netanyahu, who is lagging behind in the opinion polls ahead of a difficult re-election campaign.”

Expert: New fighting may increase chances of peace deal

Sunday and Monday’s new fighting between Iran and Israel does not necessarily have to be bad for the peace talks, according to Middle East expert Alexander Atarodi. He tells SvD that the serious situation may increase pressure on the parties and that the willingness to compromise may be greater.

Atarodi does not believe that the US is interested in getting involved in the conflict militarily again. He also points out that the war has been costly for the country, both economically and in terms of reputation.

– That is why they are perhaps looking for opportunities now that they see a risk of escalation or full-scale war.

Both Iran and Israel have announced that the fighting that flared up has now been paused.