Cogito Ergo Non Serviam
Ukraine Attacks Iranian Ship in Caspian Sea
For years, Iran has aided Russia in the latter's war against Ukraine. Iran has provided missiles and drones to Moscow that have killed Ukrainian troops and civilians. Of late, Russia has provided Iran with very precise targeting information for the mullahs' fight against the US and its Gulf allies. Over the week-end, the two wars came together. Ukraine attacked an Iranian ship in the Caspian Sea, five kilometers from where the Volga empties into the Caspian. The Iranians claim one dead and more wounded. Iran has called it a "criminal act." The Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, said Iran had "no standing to pretend to be a victim" given all the weaponry it has given Russia. This could change both wars.
The BBC observed:
Iran started supplying Russia with its domestically-manufactured Shahed drones in 2022, which Moscow has since modified and used to hit Ukrainian cities.
In an interview with Sky News, published over the weekend, Zelensky said Tehran was planning to send ballistic missiles to Russia for use in the war (reports suggest that short-range missiles were already being supplied as early as 2024).
With regard to the ship in question (the Anna), the Beeb added, "Ukraine's ambassador to Israel, Yevgen Korniychuk, said the vessel had been carrying components for drones and missiles from Iran to Russia, not civilian cargo."
The same source provided the Iranian side, which does not seem to hold much water, "Iran reacted with fury to the assault which it said had killed one sailor and injured several others. The foreign ministry said Iran had 'never intervened in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine'.
"Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the attack represented 'a blatant UN Charter violation done at Israel's behest to drag Europe into its war'."
Ukraine does not need Israeli prodding to defend itself from Russian drones and missiles, including those that come from Iran. And Iranian arms in Russians hands is intervening, just as surely as American arms in Israeli hands amounts to American intervention.
This creates an interesting situation for the White House. Ukraine has leveraged its drone and missile technology to help the Gulf States who are allied with the US in its fight against Iran. Ukraine has attacked an Iranian ship, which puts Ukraine squarely in the US camp with regard to Iran. Moreover, Iran has aided Russia for years. That means Mr. Trump will have to choose between an ally in his war with Iran that can actually help (Ukrainian drone tech is battle-tested and better than anything anyone else has) or Russia and his idol President Putin.
The change from backing Russia to backing Ukraine is not going to happen over-night. Mr. Trump was asked yesterday about Russian intelligence going to Iran, and he said he would ask Mr. Putin about it. The world remembers that Mr. Trump chose believing Mr. Putin over US intelligence organization back in the 2018 Helsinki Summit.
At the same time, Mr. Trump loves associating with winners and detests being considered in the losing camp. As Ukraine turns the tide on the battle field, Mr. Trump may well start shifting towards the winning side. He has lost the war with Iran, and he might be able to salvage something of his reputation by being pro-Ukrainian. And if Russia takes enough losses, the Kremlin might start distancing itself from Iran.
None of this is inevitable, but an opportunity to change the flow of both conflicts is here.
© Copyright 2026 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.
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