Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday warned the United States to leave the Persian Gulf region if it wanted to remain safe, amid escalating tensions between the two countries. He said Iran’s armed forces would respond to any attack or threat and noted that history has shown the “dire fates” of outside powers that entered the region.
In a post on X, Araghchi said that despite its defeats on the battlefield, the US had chosen to test Iran’s resolve. He asserted that Iran’s military would leave no attack or threat unanswered and urged Washington to leave the region.
The remarks came after the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that American forces had begun launching self-defence strikes against Iran. CENTCOM said the action was ordered by the Commander in Chief and was a proportional response to what it described as “unjustified Iranian aggression” following the downing of a US Army Apache helicopter.
According to CENTCOM, the strikes began at 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday and were aimed at responding to the helicopter incident.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump said an Iranian strike had brought down a US Apache helicopter patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz. He stated that both pilots were safe and uninjured but stressed that the United States would respond to the attack.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he had been informed by the military about the incident and reiterated that a response was necessary.
The developments come amid renewed hostilities in the region, including exchanges of strikes between Iran and Israel, attacks on an Iranian petrochemical facility, and reported targeting of Israeli military bases.
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