Following hours of military exchanges between Iran and the United States after Iranian forces downed an American Apache helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran suggested that the U.S. used the Apache incident as a pretext for striking southern Iran.
In a statement released Wednesday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry asserted that the "American regime launched attacks on areas in the south of the country under the pretext of the Apache helicopter downing in the Strait of Hormuz."
The ministry further affirmed that "the armed forces targeted American bases in the region, which were sources of aggression against Iran," according to their statement.
It also declared that Iran "will not hesitate to defend itself and will target bases and facilities used in any aggression against it."
Strikes on 20 Iranian Sites
Earlier today, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards announced that they had launched attacks on a U.S. base in Jordan and 21 other targets in the Gulf. This announcement followed the U.S. military's confirmation via social media platform X of targeting air defense systems, ground control stations, and radar sites in southern Iran near the strait in response to President Donald Trump's claim of the Apache helicopter being downed.
Conversely, a U.S. official claimed that "initial assessments indicate that almost all Iranian missiles and drones were intercepted." He added, "We are unaware of any injuries among U.S. forces or known damage to American sites at this time," as reported by Reuters.
The official also noted that "the U.S. military targeted around 20 Iranian sites," including those on Qeshm Island and the coastal cities of Sirik and Jask.
These confrontations came despite repeated statements from U.S. President Donald Trump that Iran and the U.S. are close to reaching an agreement, despite little sign of progress since a fragile ceasefire took effect in early April.
Meanwhile, Iran continues to impose restrictions on most maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which once handled one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas shipments before the war. Simultaneously, Washington maintains its blockade on Iranian ports since April 13, despite Pakistani efforts to mediate and reach an agreement to end the conflict, which began on February 18 with joint American-Israeli attacks on Tehran.