ALBAWABA - A senior adviser in Iranian leadership said the country prepared three strikes on Ukraine before canceling them after an apology came in from Kyiv.
Mohsen Rezaei, the adviser in question, made the statement which has since been published by the Iranian state broadcaster PressTV; the claim has not been independently verified.
Rezaei illustrated that the strikes were planned in retaliation for Ukraine’s alleged strike of an Iranian merchant vessel in the Caspian Sea which they identified as carrying military cargo linked to Russia; "We were set to strike three sites in Ukraine, but canceled the attack following Ukraine's apology," Rezaei said.
Rezaei apparently expects to be taken at his word as a veteran figure in Iran's security establishment and a longtime adviser within the country's leadership, offering no evidence to support his claims of the proposed strike, or indeed the apology.
While not an apology, the Ukrainian FM Andrii Sybiha had a ‘frank conversation’ as he described it with Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, where he clarified that Kyiv is not looking for any unnecessary escalations;
Adding that Ukraine’s actions were meant to defend it against Russian aggression and were never meant to target civilian vessels, people, or infrastructure, Iranian or otherwise.
Sybiha also urged Iran to end its support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying that Europe and the Middle East both deserved stability, security, and peace.
