A U.S. Army AH-64 Apache went down near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, and officials are investigating whether Iranian fire brought it down, two American officials and a third source with knowledge told Axios.

Time magazine also said it remains unclear if the helicopter fell victim to a mechanical failure or if it was shot down by Iranian forces. 

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the “cause of the incident is under investigation.”

The crash comes after Israel and Iran exchanged strikes for the first time since the April 8 ceasefire, with President Trump urging both sides to show restraint.

Both crew members were rescued around 7:30 pm ET, about two hours after the helicopter went down off the coast of Oman, CENTCOM said in a post on X. They are in stable condition.

"The pilots are fine. Yeah," Trump told reporters, according to the Associated Press. "Nobody injured. We are going to issue a report tomorrow. But the pilots are fine."

The cause of the crash may become clearer once the two, who are undergoing treatment, are interviewed, one official said.

A source familiar with the incident said there was a dramatic hours-long search before the crew was found.

A U.S. Navy surface drone found the crew in the water and carried out the rescue — the first-time maritime drones have been used for such a mission, CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins told Axios.

The drone is part of the 5th Fleet's Task Force 59, which operates maritime drones, sometimes with AI, Hawkins says.

The crucial passage between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, through which around a fifth of global oil production flows, largely remains under Iran’s chokehold.