Iran cancelled plans to strike Ukraine after apology, official says
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- An Iranian military adviser says Tehran canceled planned strikes on three sites in Ukraine after Kyiv apologized for a strike on an Iranian vessel.
- Iran also warned it would target hostile naval vessels using what it described as unauthorized routes through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran canceled plans to strike three sites in Ukraine after Kyiv apologized for a July 25 attack on an Iranian ship in the Caspian Sea, senior military adviser Mohsen Rezaei said on Tuesday.
Speaking to Iranian state television, Rezaei, a military adviser to the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, said Iran's armed forces had completed preparations for the operation before it was called off.
He said the decision followed what he described as an apology from the Ukrainian government over the attack, which Iranian authorities said killed one crew member.
Rezaei also warned that Iran would not allow maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz outside routes designated by Tehran.
He said any hostile naval vessel attempting to use what he described as an "illegal route" would be targeted.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said last week he had received assurances from Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha that the strike on the Iranian vessel was unintentional and that Kyiv did not seek further escalation.
