10/06/2026
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10/06/2026
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TEHRAN, Jun 10: Iran has denied deliberately targeting a US Apache helicopter that reportedly went down near the Strait of Hormuz, saying no offensive aerial operation was carried out in the area.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told Al Jazeera that the incident involving the US helicopter was not intentional, adding that such events can occur amid heightened military tensions in the region.
Separately, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-affiliated Tasnim News reported, citing a military source, that no offensive aerial operations had taken place in the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, following US claims that the aircraft was downed.
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned foreign forces operating near Iranian territory to leave the region, stressing that the Strait of Hormuz is not international waters but a shared maritime zone between Iran and Oman.
He said Iranian armed forces remain on high alert for any violations of airspace, land, or sea boundaries, warning that foreign military presence near Iran carries inherent risks due to “human error, accidents, or crossfire.”
“To reduce risk, the best solution is for them to leave,” Araghchi said in a post on X, while also stating that Iran prefers diplomacy but is prepared to respond in other ways if necessary.
The statements come amid heightened tensions in the Gulf region following conflicting reports over the fate of a US military helicopter near one of the world’s most strategic shipping routes.
