Iranian authorities have considered launching a direct military strike on a Ukrainian commercial port, the prestigious American publication New York Times reports.
The information, citing senior diplomatic sources and US intelligence data, reveals a critical point in relations between the two countries that threatens to merge the conflict in the Middle East with the war in Ukraine.
Tehran's plans for retaliation were triggered after Ukrainian security services conducted a successful drone operation in the Caspian Sea over the weekend. The attack hit the Russian missile ship “Molniya“ and two sanctioned cargo ships – “Port Olya-2“ and “Bagai“, carrying weapons components. The Iranian Foreign Ministry, quoted in journalistic investigations by media outlets such as “The Wall Street Journal“, reported the death of an Iranian sailor and described Kiev's actions as “a de facto declaration of war“.
According to revelations by “The New York Times“ (nytimes.com/2026/07/28/us/politics/iran-ukraine-tensions.html), Tehran planned to use medium-range ballistic missiles to strike a logistics hub in the Black Sea - most likely the ports of Odessa or Izmail. Such a move would cut off vital grain exports to Ukraine and demonstrate the global reach of Iran's arsenal.
Diplomatic sources in Doha and Washington confirmed that "blitzkrieg and intensive diplomacy" are currently underway to prevent the attack. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has held urgent consultations in the United States to request additional air defense (ADF) systems, as standard complexes have limited effectiveness against specific Iranian ballistic weapons.
For his part, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned through official statements on social media that Ukraine's actions "will not go unanswered", accusing Kiev of acting under Israeli dictates with the aim of drawing the West into a direct confrontation with the Islamic Republic. As of 6:13 a.m. Bulgarian time on July 29, 2026, the threat remains real, although intelligence agencies report a temporary lull and attempts to defuse tensions through diplomatic channels.