Tehran reveals aborted Ukraine strikes as Zaluzhnyi warns NATO on drone gap

A senior Iranian adviser, Mohsen Rezaei, claimed Tehran prepared strikes on three Ukrainian targets following an alleged Caspian Sea ship incident, but cancelled them after Kyiv initiated diplomatic contacts. Meanwhile, Ukraine's ambassador to the United Kingdom, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, cautioned that NATO operates under outdated strategies and remains significantly behind Russia in modern drone warfare capabilities. Zaluzhnyi estimated that reaching even half of Moscow's drone capacity could take NATO up to 12 years. Concurrently, security experts warned that the deepening strategic alignment between Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea poses a primary defense challenge for Western nations.

Sources: Liga net, NEXTA, NV, Radio Svoboda, Ukrainska Pravda