Iran Claims It Canceled Planned Strikes on Ukraine After Kyiv “Apology”

A senior adviser to Iran's leader claimed that the Iranian military had prepared to strike three sites in Ukraine before canceling the operation following what he described as an apology from Kyiv.

The statement, attributed to Mohsen Rezaei, was published by the Iranian state broadcaster PressTV on August 3 and has not been independently verified.

Rezaei linked the planned strikes to an attack on a merchant vessel in the Caspian Sea, which he presented as the trigger for Tehran's threatened response. "We were set to strike three sites in Ukraine, but canceled the attack following Ukraine's apology," he declared in the remarks carried by the broadcaster.

Rezaei, a veteran figure in Iran's security establishment and a longtime adviser within the country's leadership, offered no evidence for the claimed apology or for the specific targets he referenced. In the same comments, he warned that Tehran would not permit any route other than Iran's designated corridor to be established in the Strait of Hormuz.

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Jul 27, 2026 18:52

On July 28, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha held what he described as a frank conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, stressing that Kyiv sought to prevent unnecessary escalation.

The minister stated that Ukraine’s actions were directed solely at defending the country from Russian aggression and were never intended to target civilian vessels or people.

Addressing Iranian claims concerning an Iranian national who died and a civilian vessel struck in a recent incident, he argued that Russia bore full responsibility for the provocations and casualties caused by its war.

Sybiha also urged Tehran to avoid escalatory steps and end any support for Russia’s invasion, adding that Europe and the Middle East deserved stability, security, and peace.

Rezaei’s remarks followed several days of escalating tensions between Tehran and Kyiv after Ukraine struck vessels in the Caspian Sea that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy identified as carrying military cargo linked to Russia and Iran.

During the standoff, analysts noted that Iran possesses ballistic missiles with the theoretical range to reach Ukrainian territory, though there was no evidence that Tehran had made an official decision to carry out such strikes.

Friction between Tehran and Kyiv has surfaced before, as Ukraine positioned itself against Iranian weaponry during the recent Iran war.

Earlier, Ukrainian forces deployed domestically produced interceptor drones to shoot down Iranian-designed Shahed drones across several Middle Eastern countries, the same class of weapon Russia has used against Ukrainian cities.

Those operations preceded a tentative ceasefire involving Iran, the US, and Israel and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

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