Tehran: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned early Wednesday that no attack or threat against Iran "will go unanswered" following US strikes in southern parts of the country. "Despite its defeats on the battlefield, the US opted to test our determination," Araghchi said in a post on the US social media platform X. "Our powerful armed forces will leave no attack or threat unanswered," he added, while warning the United States to "leave our region if you want to be safe." "History of the Persian Gulf has many chapters on dire fates of intruding outsiders," he said.

According to Anadolu Agency, earlier reports from Iranian media detailed explosions and projectile strikes in Qeshm Island, Sirik, Minab, and Jask in southern Hormozgan province. Additionally, air defenses were activated in Bandar Abbas, Qeshm, and Sirik. Iranian state TV later reported that the wave of attacks had subsided and that the situation had become "nearly calm."

The developments came after the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that American forces had begun launching "self-defense" strikes against Iran in response to the downing of a US Army Apache helicopter in a previous incident.