Iranian senior military officer Mohsen Rezaee said his country was close to launching attacks on Ukraine in response to an incident in the Caspian Sea.
Last month, Ukrainian forces struck an Iranian commercial cargo that was transporting military equipment to Russia, killing an Iranian civilian sailor.
Diplomats defused the situation by reaching out to Tehran after the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps indicated it would carry out retaliatory strikes.
Rezaee confirmed the plan in an interview with the state media, saying, “We were prepared to attack three locations in Ukraine, but canceled it after the country apologized.”
He, however, vowed Iran will not allow the opening of a second corridor in the Strait of Hormuz, warning that any warship found passing an “illegal route” will be targeted.
Rezaee also said a Saudi Arabian official contacted Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and explained they did not directly participate in the recent airstrikes in Iraq.
A United States military action against Iran-backed militia in Iraq on July 29 reportedly involved the Saudi Arabian forces, marking an escalation in the regional conflict.
The assault targeted logistical and weapons facilities used by the Popular Mobilization Forces in multiple Iraqi provinces, killing/injuring dozens of PMF fighters and some IRGC officers.
The operation followed Iran’s drone attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure—including a Saudi Aramco refinery in Jazan—and an attempted missile attack on US service members.