NYT: Iran wanted to fire ballistic missile on Ukrainian port

The New York Times, citing sources, has reported that Iran considered launching a ballistic missile equipped with a small warhead to attack a Ukrainian port. However, the situation has reportedly been defused through diplomatic efforts, at least for now.

Source: The New York Times

Quote: "Iran considered attacking a seaport in Ukraine in response to a Ukrainian strike on an Iranian ship, but a flurry of diplomacy has calmed the situation for now, according to Iranian and Western officials."

Details: Some people familiar with intelligence assessments told the NYT that they had expected Iran to fire a ballistic missile armed with a small warhead on Ukraine as a symbolic warning intended to cause only limited damage.

Other officials said the likely target would have been one of Ukraine's Black Sea ports.

The NYT notes that any missile launched from Iran towards Ukraine would constitute an escalation of the conflict and could trigger a wider war.

Iranian officials, speaking to the newspaper on condition of anonymity, said they hoped that the confrontation would end with a retaliatory strike from Iran, whilst Western officials warned that it was difficult to predict how Ukraine would respond.

During his latest visit to the United States, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pledged to hand over intelligence on Russia's support for Iran in its war with the US. Ukrainian officials have said that Russia has supplied Iran with satellite imagery of US military bases in the Middle East.

Background:

• On 28 July, Ukraine's acting Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha held a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi and assured him that Ukraine wants to avoid escalation. In response, Araghchi said Ukraine should compensate Iran for the damage caused by the sinking of a merchant vessel in the Caspian Sea.
• On 25 July, Iran accused Ukraine of attacking an Iranian merchant ship in the Caspian Sea. Tehran described the strike as an act of aggression and accused Kyiv of attempting to widen the war in Ukraine.
• Iran's Foreign Ministry also said Tehran would defend its interests and national security in accordance with the principle of self-defence under international law. Araghchi also posted a message on X (Twitter) containing a threat directed at President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
• Earlier on 25 July, Zelenskyy said Ukraine had achieved "very good results" from its long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea, specifically mentioning vessels involved in transporting military cargo linked to Iran.
• Responding to Iran's threats, Zelenskyy said that Iran and North Korea had already attacked Ukraine by supplying Russia with weapons, military technology and soldiers.

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