WASHINGTON — U.S. Central Command denied reports from Iranian state media on Tuesday claiming a U.S. Navy MH-60R helicopter crashed in the Red Sea, saying all military aircraft and personnel operating across the Middle East remain safe.
The denial followed Iranian state media reports alleging an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter had crashed after declaring an emergency on Monday while flying over the Red Sea near Saudi Arabia. Publicly available flight-tracking data showed the aircraft subsequently disappeared from tracking services, prompting initial speculation about a potential crash.
CENTCOM explicitly stated the claims were "not true."
The incident follows a pattern of Iranian state media claims regarding U.S. military assets in the region. CENTCOM previously dismissed an Iranian state media claim on Monday that Iran's Islamic new Guard Corps struck a U.S. warship with missiles. The command also rejected earlier reports of an F-15E being downed in Iran.
