Iran planned THREE strikes on Ukraine but called off attacks at 11th hour, regime claims as conflicts threaten to merge

IRAN was on the verge of hitting Ukraine until an “apology” in the 11th hour forced them to hit the stop button, a top adviser to the Supreme Leader revealed. Mohsen Rezaei said Iran’s armed forces were readying for attacks on three sites in retaliation to Ukraine‘s strike on a ship said to have been transporting military cargo in the Caspian Sea. Naval units from Iran and Russia carry out to simulation of rescue a hijacked vessel during the joint naval drills held at the Port of Bandar Abbas near the Strait of Hormuz Credit: Iranian Army/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images Ukraine claims to have attacked 14 tankers of Russia’s shadow fleet over night, taking the total to 49 ships this week deepening the chaos over fuel supplies in Vladimir Putin’s country. Credit: East2West “We were set to strike three sites in Ukraine, but cancelled the attack after Ukraine’s apology,” Rezaei reportedly told Iranian state TV. He did not provide any evidence to back his claims or specify the alleged targets, and Ukraine is yet to comment on this. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! If true, this shows how dangerously close the two countries have tiptoed to war with each other in recent days. And if the conflicts merge more directly, the result could be cataclysmic – with some analysts speculating it could lead to World War Three. A Ukrainian naval drone strikes a Russian crude oil tanker Blue which is part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet Credit: Reuters Ukraine claims to have attacked 14 tankers of Russia’s shadow fleet over night Credit: East2West Rezaei also warned that Iran would not allow any maritime route through the Strait of Hormuz outside Iran’s designated route. Any hostile vessel attempting to use an “illegal route” would be targeted, he added. His remarks followed the unprecedented July 25 attack, which killed one crew member and destroyed the Iranian vessel. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha that Ukraine should compensate Iran for the damage caused by the strike. Most read in The Sun In a post on X, Araghchi wrote that “Iran does not seek escalation either, but made clear any attack on our citizens or interests is unacceptable”. “There must be restitution for losses,” he added. For his part, Sybiha said Ukraine’s ⁠actions were “aimed solely at defending our country from Russian aggression and never intended to target civilian vessels or people”. This comes as US Secretary Scott Bessent revealed there could ⁠be a deal reached with Iran on ⁠the ​reopening of the ⁠Strait of Hormuz in the next 24 hours. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrives for a meeting with senators at the US Capitol in Washington Credit: AFP One of Russia’s shadow fleet tankers that Ukraine claims to have struck Credit: East2West He said in an interview with CNBC: “I ‌think there ‌is a chance we may have ⁠a deal today or tomorrow to open the Strait and move towards a ‌more normalized position ​in ‌this conflict.” Donald Trump said last night that he has offered the Islamic Republic its “last chance” at peace. The US President told the press that he had prepared to unleash massive strikes on the country before calling them off at the urging of Gulf allies Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Earlier, he blasted the Iranian leadership as “unbelievably duplicitous”. In a post on TruthSocial, he added: “They ask for a meeting, some would say ‘beg’, talks begin and they say, openly and proudly, that they are not having any discussions.” But Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed ⁠Al Ansari confirmed that ⁠efforts are ⁠ongoing to ​seek a ⁠diplomatic resolution ‌to the war. He said ‌that mediators from ⁠Qatar, Pakistan and Oman are coordinating closely to facilitate negotiations ‌and ​exchange ‌drafts ⁠between both sides. Comment now