Iran had been planning to launch strikes on Ukraine but scrapped them at the last minute after receiving an apology from Kyiv, it was reported today.
Tehran was said to be readying for attacks on three locations in retaliation for Ukraine’s strike on a ship it said was transporting military cargo in the Caspian Sea.
Ukraine’s military previously announced ‘very good results’ in long-range strikes in the waterway on July 25, including against vessels said to be carrying military equipment to Iran.
Last night Mohsen Rezaei, adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader and senior officer in Tehran’s Revolutionary Guards, claimed they had been planning retaliatory attacks.
‘We were set to strike three sites in Ukraine, but cancelled the attack after Ukraine’s apology,’ he reportedly said.
He gave no details as to the exact strike by Ukraine which had caused the animosity, or on Kyiv’s supposed apology.
Rezaei also warned again that Iran would not allow any ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz outside of a specific route unilaterally designated by Tehran.
Iran has repeatedly said any attempt to traverse the vital shipping lane, through which 20 per cent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passed prior to the outbreak of conflict, would result in hostile response.
It comes after Ukraine announced its unprecedented strikes in the Caspian Sea last month, which directly linked its conflict with Russia with the Middle East war for the first time.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said its drones had hit an oil platform, a Russian missile boat and cargo ships it said were the subject of international sanctions.
Iranian officials later said the ship Anna had been targeted some three miles from the mouth of the River Volga in Russia. One crew member died in the attack.
At the time Ukraine’s ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk said Anna had been carrying parts for drones and missiles from Iran to Russia.
In the aftermath Tehran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Ukraine should compensate them for the damage caused by the strike.
He wrote on X: ‘Iran does not seek escalation either, but made clear any attack on our citizens or interests is unacceptable. There must be restitution for losses.’
Days later, he is said to have spoken to his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha by phone.
Araghchi claimed afterwards that Sybiha had described the attack as unintentional.
The latest escalation comes as fresh speculation about a deal to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz swirls on Tuesday.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday there has been progress made in discussions with Iran and Oman on getting more ships through the Strait of Hormuz but no final agreement has been reached.
‘There’s been progress made in those talks, but not finality yet. We’re hoping that will happen very shortly,’ Rubio told reporters at the State Department.
Trump said on Monday that talks with Tehran had started and Iran faced a ‘last chance’ to reach a deal.
Iranian officials insisted no negotiations with the United States were taking place. Iran says its only talks are with Oman about the strait, and that no major meetings were planned this week.
‘They are going on right now,’ Trump told reporters at an Oval Office event on Monday when asked about negotiations, adding that discussions were taking place at the request of Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
‘This is a last chance for them (Iran) to sign a good document.’
Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said diplomatic contacts had reached ‘very progressive stages’.
Ansari said on Tuesday mediators including Qatar, Pakistan and Oman were coordinating closely to facilitate negotiations and exchange draft proposals between Washington and Tehran.
A senior Pakistani security official said: ‘A lot is happening in the background … We are talking to both sides. Our sole goal at this moment is to make both parties at least agree to start talking.’
Trump’s comments followed his weekend decision to cancel what he described as ‘massive attacks’ on Iran, extending a pattern in which he has threatened major military action before later backing off and pointing to diplomatic contacts.
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