Iran live updates: Chopper pilots rescued by unmanned boat, official says

U.S. Central Command confirmed on Tuesday that two U.S. Army AH-64 Apache pilots were rescued near the Strait of Hormuz after their helicopter went down near the coast of Oman on Monday evening.

A U.S. official told ABC News that the pilots were rescued by an unmanned surface vessel -- a maritime drone that picked them up and took them to land.

The pilots were rescued within approximately two hours, CENTCOM said in a post to X. The Apache was "patrolling regional waters" when the incident occurred, CENTCOM said. "The cause of the incident is under investigation," it added.

"Rescue efforts were led by U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the 82nd Airborne Division, with support from U.S. Air Force and Navy units including U.S. 5th Fleet's Task Force 59," CENTCOM said. Task Force 59 is the Navy's first-ever drone task force.

Task Force 59 uses a variety of unmanned craft. According to a U.S. official, the drone used for the rescue of the Apache pilots had a speed boat-like design.

-ABC News' Luis Martinez

Two Iranian air defense troops were killed in Israeli attacks on the country on Monday, the semi-official Tasnim News agency reported on Tuesday.

Iran's Emergency Medical Services Organization said on Monday that 15 Iranians were injured in Israeli attacks, 14 people in Mahshahr and one person in Tehran.

Tasnim reported that the funerals of the two troops were killed on Monday will be held in Tehran on Tuesday evening.

-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian

President Donald Trump said that negotiations with Iran are ongoing and that he could have an agreement or "at least an idea by one or two days from now."

"I think it's going well," Trump said, claiming that for now, the blockade of Iranian ports continues to hold "100%."

"We have a good chance of doing it," the president said of a potential deal. "We should be able to do it in one hour if you want to know the truth. I don't think there are any sticking points. I think we're very...close to having a very, very good, strong, powerful deal."

Trump also said that further military action is possible, but suggested that a deal is preferable.

"If we go and bomb, which we can do very easily, if we want, and we spend another two or three weeks bombing, they'll have nothing left whatsoever, but you won't have the Strait open for months. If we do the bombing, you know a lot of people are going to be killed. Who wants to do that? I know, and we'll get, we'll have a signed document that's actually stronger than doing the bombing," Trump said.

Trump also said he "can't blame" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for retaliating against Iran after the recent resumption of direct strikes between the warring parties.

Iran launched missiles toward Israel on Sunday in what it said was retaliation for Israeli strikes on the Lebanese capital Beirut, where the Israel Defense Forces said it was targeting the Iran-aligned Hezbollah militia.

Trump said he had "a very good conversation" with Netanyahu. "He was hit, and he hit back."

"Now they've called it quits, so they're gonna just leave each other alone for another week or something," Trump added. "We're in the final throes of what will be a very, very good deal that will not allow in any way, shape, or form nuclear weapons, etc," Trump said.

Trump said he told Netanyahu to stop striking because he wants to get a peace deal. "I said, 'Do what's right, but I want you to stop as quickly as you can,' because they have to stop. It's had to do with Lebanon, and it has to stop. We want to get it finished."

-ABC News' Isabella Murray

President Donald Trump appeared to confirm that a U.S. Army ‌helicopter went down near the Strait of Hormuz, which was reported by The New York Times late on Monday.

Trump claimed that the pilots were not injured and that a report on the incident will be released on Tuesday.

"The pilots are fine," the president said. "Nobody injured. We are going to issue a report tomorrow, but the pilots are fine," Trump added, when asked about an update on the crash during a gaggle on the tarmac in New York following Game 3 of the NBA finals.

-ABC News' Isabella Murray