Iran planned to strike three key targets in Ukraine, but called off the strikes after Kyiv "apologized" to the regime, adviser to Iranian leader Mojtaba Khamenei, Mohsen Rezaei, said in an interview with Iranian state broadcaster PressTV on Monday.
Rezaei said the strikes had been planned as a response to a Ukrainian attack on a ship transporting cargo between Iran and Russia in the Caspian Sea.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced on July 25 that "cargo vessels subject to international sanctions that were being used to transport military cargo between Iran and Russia" were struck.
According to Reuters, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the strikes as an "act of aggression" that "cannot go unanswered."
Iran considered targeting Ukraine with ballistic missiles after strike on Iranian ship
People with knowledge of the matter expected Iran to fire a ballistic missile with a small warhead at Ukraine as a show of strength, The New York Times reported in late July. This would have constituted a major escalation and risked opening a new warfront, given Iran's alliance with Russia.
According to The Kyiv Independent, tensions eased after Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha spoke with Araghchi on July 28. Araghchi reportedly said that Ukraine called the strikes unintentional and that neither side was seeking further escalation.
"I reiterated that all of Ukraine's actions are aimed solely at defending our country from Russian aggression and never intended to target civilian vessels or people," Sybiha said after the reported discussion.
"I called Iran's Foreign Minister Araghchi for a frank conversation. Diplomacy is about direct conversation, even when it's difficult. I stressed that our goal is to avoid unnecessary escalation."
Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency reported that Araghchi told Sybiha that Kyiv should compensate Tehran for the damage caused by the attack.
Shir Perets, Jerusalem Post Staff, and Reuters contributed to this report.