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Iran considered striking a Ukrainian port in retaliation for an attack on one of its commercial vessels, but a burst of diplomacy has calmed the situation for now, The New York Times reported on July 28, citing Iranian and Western officials.
Ukraine struck the Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea on July 25, killing one sailor and wounding several others. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the ship had been used for “military cargo shipments involving Iran,” citing Tehran’s military support for Russia.
Iran reacted with fury. Its foreign ministry called the strike “hostile and criminal” and denied any involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war. The ministry also summoned Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires in Tehran to lodge a formal protest.
Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi went further, alleging the attack was carried out “at Israel’s behest” and warning it “cannot go unanswered.”
Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, echoed the warning. “Any attack on Iran always comes with a cost,” he said, adding that Ukraine “may soon come to understand that Iran does not let actions go unanswered.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha dismissed the threats as “unjustified and groundless.” He wrote on social media that “the regime in Tehran is a direct accomplice to Russian aggression against Ukraine.”
By July 28, Araghchi’s tone had shifted. He said Sybiha had personally assured him the attack was unintentional and that Kyiv was not seeking to escalate the dispute.
“Iran does not seek escalation either, but makes clear any attack on our citizens or interests is unacceptable. There must be restitution for losses,” Araghchi wrote on X.
The Times reported that this public softening reflected a broader diplomatic push behind the scenes. People briefed on the intelligence said the Islamic Republic had seriously weighed a military response, with officials divided over what form it might take.
Some expected Tehran to fire a ballistic missile carrying a small warhead at Ukraine, intended as a symbolic gesture rather than to inflict major damage. Others said the more likely target was one of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports.
Iranian officials told the Times they hoped any retaliatory strike, if it comes, would close out the episode rather than open a new front. Western officials cautioned, however, that Ukraine’s response remains hard to predict. The situation has eased for now, but it is not resolved, according to the report.
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trump’s a chump. first netanyahoo played him. now zelensky’s playing him.
eventually, esp. in the us, all chumps get dumped to make room for the next one.
bring it on¬ time for a big ukie hunt to go with the joo and amerikunt hunt! whack ajj the s***bags and make a clean sweep!