Araghchi to US: leave the region if you want to be safe

IRGC-linked Fars News released a video on its Telegram channel that it said showed drones flying over Iraq toward their intended targets.

"UAVs are in the skies over Iraq heading toward their targets," the agency said.

Fars did not specify the type of drones, their launch point, or the targets they were allegedly heading toward.

The latest US strikes on Iranian targets were intended as a warning rather than a broader escalation, and Washington does not believe they will derail negotiations aimed at ending the conflict, a US official told CNN.

US Central Command described the operation as a "proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression."

According to two sources cited by CNN, the initial strikes targeted military sites around the Strait of Hormuz. One source said additional strikes are expected.

The reported assessment suggests Washington is seeking to contain the confrontation even as it responds militarily to attacks on US forces.

Iran's state broadcaster reported early Wednesday that one projectile impact has been confirmed in Sirik and several others on Qeshm Island.

The report added that "the situation is now calm" in southern areas struck by US forces.

According to IRIB, the nature of the projectiles and the precise locations of the impacts remain unclear.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister told Al Jazeera that a US Apache helicopter that went down over the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday was not deliberately targeted by Iran.

Kazem Gharibabadi said such events could happen unintentionally because of the tense military situation in the area.

"Iran was not behind the attack. Such incidents may occur unintentionally because of the tense atmosphere in the Strait of Hormuz. There was no deliberate targeting by Iran of the US helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz," he said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned foreign forces near Iran’s territory to leave the region, after President Donald Trump said Tehran had downed a US Apache helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz.

He said the Strait of Hormuz was “NOT international waters” but was shared between Iran and Oman, adding that maritime boundaries were “crystal clear.”

“Our powerful Armed Forces are on constant alert for any violation of Iran’s airspace, land or waters,” he said.

“Foreign forces in proximity to our territory are at constant risk on account of their own human errors, plain accidents, or potentially being caught in crossfire,” Araghchi said in a post on X.

“To reduce risk, best solution is for them to leave,” he added. “We prefer language of diplomacy but speak other languages too."