Iran Says It Was Ready To Strike Ukraine But Held Back; Trump Warns Of ‘Last Chance’ For A Deal
Key Takeaways:
- An adviser to Iran’s supreme leader said Tehran was prepared to strike three locations in Ukraine after Kyiv targeted an Iranian cargo vessel in the Caspian Sea but suspended the response after Ukraine claimed the attack was a mistake.
- Iran maintains the vessel carried civilian cargo and that a sailor was killed, while Ukraine insists the ship was transporting drone and missile components to Russia.
- President Trump warned that Iran has a “last chance” to reach a deal to end the ongoing war or face “decapitation,” while claiming talks are currently underway despite Iranian denials of negotiations.
Iran was ready to hit Ukraine after Kyiv targeted an Iranian cargo vessel in the Caspian Sea last month but called off the attack, said an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader.
“We were prepared to strike three locations in Ukraine, but after they said the attack had been a mistake, we suspended our response in order to examine their claim,” Mohsen Rezaei told state TV on August 3.
“In any case, they will have to pay the price for their attack,” Rezaei added.
There was no immediate response from Kyiv.
Tehran said the vessel was carrying civilian cargo and the Ukrainian strike killed an Iranian sailor. But Ukraine said the ship was transporting components for drones and missiles from Iran to Russia.
Shortly after the incident in the Caspian Sea on July 25, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi to say Kyiv sought to avoid unnecessary escalation.
However, “our goal is to counter Russian aggression, which is the root cause of all incidents, and it is Russia who bears full responsibility for all provocations and casualties,” Sybiha emphasized.
Iran and Russia have forged a close military relationship in recent years. Tehran has provided Moscow with domestically produced combat drones that Russia has used in its war against Ukraine. Kyiv has said that has made Tehran complicit in Russia’s war.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to retaliate against Ukraine for the strike on the vessel in the Caspian Sea. Kyiv has dismissed the threats.
Trump Says Iran Has ‘Last Chance’ To Strike Deal
US President Donald Trump said Iran has one “last chance” to strike a deal to end the five-month war otherwise the country faced “decapitation.”
“I think we’re going to maybe get something, but I want to give them every last chance before decapitation,” he told reporters during an event in the Oval Office on August 3, reiterating a threat to launch a major attack on Iran.
Over the weekend, Trump said he decided to “hold off” on what he promised would be an unprecedented attack on Iran, saying “the perimeters” of a deal have been agreed with Tehran.
Earlier on August 3, Iran said it was not negotiating with the United States. In response, Trump called Iran’s leadership “unbelievably duplicitous,” in a social media post.
Asked about the status of the negotiations, Trump told reporters that “they are going on right now,” adding that the two sides were speaking at the request of Iran as well as US allies in the Persian Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.
“This is a last chance for them to sign a good document,” he said, referring to Iran.
An interim peace deal reached by Washington and Tehran collapsed in mid-July, just weeks after it was signed.
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