Iran considered attacking Ukraine over ship strike in Caspian Sea, adviser to Khamenei claims

Iran considered launching ballistic missile strikes against three targets in Ukraine in retaliation for a Ukrainian attack on a cargo ship in the Caspian Sea, according to Mohsen Rezaei, an adviser to Iranian leader Mojtaba Khamenei. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) had announced on July 25 that it struck "cargo vessels subject to international sanctions that were being used to transport military cargo between Iran and Russia." Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the strikes as an "act of aggression." However, Iran called off the planned strikes after Ukraine apologized, with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stating, "I reiterated that all of Ukraine's actions are aimed solely at defending our country from Russian aggression and never intended to target civilian vessels or people." Araghchi reportedly requested compensation from Kyiv for the damage.