Iran was prepared to carry out strikes on Ukraine after Kyiv attacked an Iranian cargo ship in the Caspian Sea last month but suspended the plan after Ukraine said the strike had been unintended, a senior adviser to Iran's supreme leader has claimed.
According to Radio Svoboda, Mohsen Rezaei, an adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, made the remarks during an interview with Iranian state television on 3 August.
"We were ready to strike three locations in Ukraine, but after they said the attack was a mistake, we suspended our response to consider their claim," Rezaei said. "In any case, they will have to pay for their attack."
Ukraine had not publicly responded to Rezaei's latest comments.
Caspian Sea strike sparked diplomatic contacts
The remarks follow a Ukrainian strike on an Iranian cargo vessel in the Caspian Sea on 25 July.
Tehran said the ship was carrying civilian cargo and that an Iranian sailor was killed in the attack. Ukraine, however, said the vessel was transporting Iranian drone and missile components to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine.
Following the incident, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said he had spoken with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, to prevent further escalation.
Sybiha said Ukraine's actions were directed solely at defending the country from Russian aggression and "never intended to target civilian vessels or people." He added that Russia was "the root cause of all incidents" and bore "full responsibility for all provocations and casualties."
He also urged Iran to avoid escalatory steps and end its military support for Russia's war.
Iran has repeatedly threatened retaliation
Iran has repeatedly threatened retaliation over the Caspian Sea strike, while Kyiv has dismissed the warnings.
Military ties between Tehran and Moscow have deepened since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Iran has supplied Russia with Shahed attack drones, which have become a mainstay of Moscow's long-range strikes against Ukrainian cities. Ukraine has previously argued that Iran's military assistance makes it complicit in Russia's war.
Rezaei's statement is the clearest public claim so far that Iran had considered direct military action against Ukraine before deciding against it.
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