An Iranian cargo ship in the Caspian Sea does not, at first, seem like an obvious target for Ukrainian drones.
But more than 500 miles away from Kyiv – and just days before meeting Donald Trump at the White House – Volodymyr Zelensky wanted to make an important point.
The ship, which has not been named, was allegedly carrying military cargo between Russia and Iran.
Iran has long been supplying Shahed drones to Russia for its war against Ukraine. Now Russia is fitting them with powerful jet engines, and is believed to be sending them back to Iran for its war against the US.
Ukraine blew the ship out of the water, killing one crew member. Mr Zelensky hopes that proving Russia is aiding Iran will persuade Mr Trump to turn against Vladimir Putin.
The Ukrainian president has more evidence to back up his case.
He says Russian satellites have been monitoring US bases across the Middle East to co-ordinate the Islamic Republic’s strikes, and wants Mr Trump to take a look.
“I will instruct our intelligence to share with our partners the information we have regarding Russia’s new assistance to the Iranian regime,” he said.
“Since the beginning of July, we have recorded active Russian satellite surveillance of the Gulf states and US military facilities located there.
“These images subsequently appear in Iran. At the same time, there is a clear correlation between Russia’s satellite imagery of these sites and Iranian strikes – both before the attacks, in preparation for them, and afterward, to assess the damage inflicted.”
Volodymyr Zelensky is hoping he can persuade Donald Trump to turn against Vladimir Putin – Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
Corroborating the Ukrainian president’s claim, a Western defence source told The Telegraph that there had been a notable improvement in Iran’s precision strikes and target selection since a ceasefire with the US broke down earlier this month.
The source compared it to the initial Western reluctance to support Ukraine in the wake of Russia’s invasion.
“Ukraine managed to hold out and did well, and then our arms supplies, intelligence support broadened and deepened significantly after the first week,” they said.
By reinforcing the alliance between Russia and Iran, Mr Zelensky hopes that it will create more wriggle room among Mr Trump’s Maga supporters for him to aid Ukraine.
One of the American Maga movement’s cheerleaders, Laura Loomer, travelled to Kyiv and interviewed the Ukrainian president this week. While on the trip, the independent journalist accused Russia of funding Iran and providing it with explosives used against US servicemen.
Last week, the Pentagon released the names of three troops believed to have been killed in an Iranian strike in Jordan. A fourth also died during a controlled detonation of an Iranian drone in northern Iraq.
It took the number of Americans killed since the Iran war broke out to 18.
Despite Russia’s alleged support for Iran, Mr Trump has been reluctant to criticise Putin. It is also believed the US president’s potential level of support for Kyiv is hamstrung by the Maga movement’s refusal to engage with foreign wars.
The striking of the Iranian cargo ship can be viewed as a similar attempt to demonstrate why US conservatives should throw their weight behind Ukraine.
Confirming the strike, Tehran accused Ukraine of “an act of aggression that could further inflame and expand the flames of war”, claiming the attack targeted a commercial vessel.
Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, summoned Ukraine’s leading diplomat to be rebuked, and also called on Kaja Kallas, the EU’s most senior diplomat, to condemn Ukraine.
The strike marks a convergence between two conflicts that have dominated Western diplomacy and brought a spiked global energy prices.
Mr Zelensky is hoping that Putin can be blamed for both.
