IRGC-linked media claims drones en route to targets over Iraq

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."

The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran accused the UN nuclear watchdog's chief Rafael Grossi of overlooking what it called illegal US and Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities, saying his approach resembled past reporting on the 2015 nuclear deal.

In an explanatory note addressed to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors, the organization said no country had been subjected to as much monitoring as Iran, while also claiming no country had faced as many military attacks against its peaceful nuclear facilities.

The Iranian organization said attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, as well as threats of further strikes, were the main obstacle to implementing safeguards under current conditions.

It criticized Grossi’s “silence” over the attacks and said his reporting had followed a pattern similar to the IAEA’s approach to the JCPOA, arguing that Washington’s withdrawal from the agreement had not been sufficiently highlighted.

Tehran said normal verification activities could resume if what it described as wartime conditions ended and threats against Iran’s nuclear sites were removed.