Iran Says "Attack on U.S. Helicopter Was Unintentional... No Deliberate Intent"

Iranian Military: "No Military Operations Conducted in the Past 24 Hours"
Warns, "Will Respond Firmly to U.S. Attacks"

Image of the AH-64 Apache helicopter. Boeing company's website

Iran has explained that the incident involving the downing of a US Army Apache helicopter was not an intentional attack. This clarification appears to be a measure taken due to concerns that the ceasefire could be broken following US airstrikes that occurred immediately after the helicopter crash. If Iran refrains from additional retaliation against the US airstrikes, the precarious ceasefire is expected to remain in place for the time being.

On the 9th (local time), Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, said in an interview with Al Jazeera, "The Iranian military did not intentionally target the US helicopter," adding, "Iran is not behind this incident, and it appears to have occurred unintentionally."

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also stated on the social networking service X (formerly Twitter), "Foreign military forces near our territory are constantly exposed to the risk of human error, accidental incidents, or potentially getting involved in hostilities," and insisted, "The best solution to reduce these risks is for them to leave."

The Iranian military and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also explained that there were no Iranian military operations before or after the US helicopter crash. According to Tasnim News Agency, the IRGC said in a statement, "There have been no offensive aerial military operations within Iranian airspace for the past 24 hours," but warned, "However, if the United States uses this incident as a pretext to attack Iran, we will respond forcefully."

The previous night, after a US Army Apache helicopter crashed over the Strait of Hormuz, the US military responded by launching airstrikes on Iran's southern coastal areas. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement, "Under the direction of the Commander-in-Chief (US President Donald Trump), we began defensive strikes against Iran starting at 5 p.m. Eastern Time (6 a.m. Korea time on June 10)."

It is reported that both inside and outside the US military, an investigation is underway into whether Iran intentionally targeted the Apache helicopter. Axios cited a US government official as saying, "It has been confirmed that an Iranian drone collided with the US helicopter, causing it to crash, but it has not been determined whether the drone strike was intentional."

If Iran does not engage in further retaliation, the ceasefire is expected to be maintained for now. CNN quoted a US government official as saying, "This airstrike is a warning shot to Iran" and added, "It will not interfere with negotiations."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.