US Navy searches for missing member after helicopter’s ’emergency water landing’ in Arabian Sea

MANAMA (Bahrain): The US Navy is searching for a missing crew member after an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to the USS George HW Bush (CVN 77) made an emergency water landing in the Arabian Sea, the US Naval Forces Central Command, also called the US 5th Fleet, said.

In a post on X, the US 5th Fleet said, “On July 1 at 3.30 am ET, the aircrew of an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) conducted an emergency water landing in the Arabian Sea.”

The Navy said, “There is no indication the emergency was caused by hostile action”. It added that three of the helicopter’s four crew members have been recovered and are in stable condition. It said, “Three of the helicopter’s four crew members have been recovered and are in stable condition aboard George H. W. Bush.”

On July 1 at 3:30 a.m. ET, the aircrew of an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) conducted an emergency water landing in the Arabian Sea. There is no indication the emergency was caused by hostile action. Three of the helicopter’s four crew…

— U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet (@US5thFleet) July 1, 2026

The US Navy said search operations are underway for the remaining crew member, stating, “US Navy assets in the region are currently searching for other aircrewman still missing”. The Navy added that the cause of the incident is “under investigation”.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday (local time), US President Donald Trump claimed that the “denuclearisation” of Iran was going “well”, expressing optimism about the diplomatic process with the Islamic Republic despite the absence of Iran from direct high-level negotiations involving senior US officials in Qatar.

Speaking to reporters as he departs for North Dakota to visit the newly built Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, Trump said discussions on Iran’s nuclear programme had progressed positively following recent military action on the Islamic Republic over strikes on transiting vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.

“As far as things are going, the denuclearisation of Iran is moving along well. They’ve had very good meetings, and we’ll see. We hit them very hard for three nights. But we’re getting along very well. So I call it denuclearisation. It’s all taking place. It’s all going well,” Trump said.

The US President also asserted that Iran had changed its position following the recent strikes. “They’ve come a long way. We hit them very hard last week. They’re fine. We’re going to get it. It’s the denuclearisation of Iran,” he said. Reiterating Washington’s longstanding position on Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, Trump said Iran would not be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon.

“Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Otherwise, all of this stuff that we look at, all of these things that we do, the country has never had activity like it’s got right now,” he said. Trump’s remarks come even as Iranian officials have not participated in direct high-level talks with the United States in Doha, Qatar. (ANI)