Khamenei's advisor Rezai: We halted preparations for an attack on Ukraine after 'it was a mistake' statement

Major General Mohsen Rezai, an advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and former Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, announced that preparations for a military response against Ukraine were underway following the targeting of an Iranian ship in the Caspian Sea.

In his assessment during the television program, Rezai said that after Ukraine targeted an Iranian ship in the Caspian Sea, an attack was planned against Kyiv in three regions. Rezai stated, "We were preparing to attack three regions of Ukraine, then they said 'it was a mistake,' and we halted the attack to investigate the matter."

On July 25, Ukraine announced that it had struck an Iranian ship with a UAV, claiming it was transporting military cargo to Russia in the Caspian Sea. Following the incident, a phone call took place between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.

According to the Iranian side, Sybiha gave assurances that the attack was not intentional and that the Kyiv administration did not want to escalate tensions. Araghchi, while stating that Iran also did not want tensions to rise, emphasized that attacks against Iranian citizens or interests could not be accepted.

MESSAGE ON THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ

Rezai also made statements regarding the Strait of Hormuz during the program. Stating that they would not allow any new transit route outside of the routes determined by Iran, Rezai argued that if the US blockade continues, American warships would be at risk.

Rezai also claimed that if warships were brought to the southern route of the strait, they would be directly targeted. The statements brought the issue of regional maritime security back to the agenda, alongside the tension on the Iran-Ukraine line following the attack in the Caspian Sea.