Ukraine Launches Strike On Iranian Ship

**Mike Baker** (0:00)
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It's Tuesday, the 28th of July. Welcome to The President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, Ukraine launches a dramatic long-range strike on an Iranian linked vessel. Hmm, I'll have the details. Later in the show, a new DEA assessment raises tough questions about the Trump administration's military campaign against drug traffickers, finding dozens of boat strikes have done little to slow the flow of cocaine into the US. Plus, Kim Jong Un, remember him? Well, he's quietly overhauling North Korea's global spy network with new investments in cyber warfare, espionage and covert operations aimed at America's allies. And in today's Back of the Brief, massive wildfires are forcing hundreds of thousands of people from their homes across France and Spain as Europe battles one of its worst fire emergencies in years. But first, today's BDB Spotlight. For some time now, the war in Ukraine and the conflict with Iran have unfolded as separate conflicts. But this past weekend, those worlds collided. According to both Ukrainian and Iranian officials, Ukraine carried out a long range strike in Caspian Sea, hitting vessels that Kyiv says were being used to transport military cargo connected to Iran. Ukrainian President Zelensky claimed the operation also damaged a Russian warship. Iran says one sailor aboard a commercial vessel was killed and several others were wounded. On Sunday, Tehran summoned Ukraine's Sharjah Defer to protest what it called a, quote, hostile and criminal act. Well, they would certainly know one when they see one. While Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Toghchi warned that the attack, quote, cannot go unanswered. Since the beginning of Russia's full scale invasion, Iran has become one of Moscow's most important military partners, supplying thousands of Shahed drones as an example, that Russia has used to bombard Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure. More recently, Ukrainian officials have also accused Russia of helping Iran by providing satellite imagery and other targeting intelligence during the current conflict in the Middle East. So, from Kyiv's perspective, Iranian military logistics are no longer separate from the war in Ukraine. They're part of the same battlefield. Since the beginning of the war, Ukraine has steadily expanded the reach of its long-range campaign, from Crimea to military targets deep inside Russia, to logistics hubs hundreds of miles from the front. Now, Kyiv appears to be treating Iran's military support for Moscow as a legitimate target as well.
Whether Iran chooses to retaliate directly against Ukraine remains to be seen, but one thing is becoming increasingly clear. The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are no longer unfolding on separate tracks. Russia and Iran have become strategic partners, and Ukraine increasingly views Iran as part of the war effort against it. Now, military action in one theater is beginning to spill directly into the other. That brings us to the latest developments in the Iran conflict. For now, the pause in US airstrikes against Iran continues, and the White House is expressing cautious optimism that diplomacy may still have a chance. Speaking with Axios on Monday, President Trump said the US is engaged in what he described as very deep talks with Iran. He warned, however, that the diplomatic window won't remain open for long, saying that the US will go back to very strong military action if necessary. Asked how much time he's willing to give those potential negotiations or whatever we're calling them these days, the president's answer was blunt. He said, quote, not much time, either it goes fast or not at all, end quote. Now much of the current diplomatic effort appears to be centered on, again, reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Iran and neighboring Oman have been holding talks aimed at restoring commercial shipping through the strategic waterway with regional officials telling CBS News that those discussions have shown signs of progress. Now as has been typical throughout the course of this conflict, if the White House says something positive about the state of any negotiations, you can count on the Iranian regime to disagree, and this time is no different. While President Trump says the US has engaged in very deep talks and direct discussions with Tehran, Iranian officials insist that that's not the case. Speaking at Tehran on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ishmael Bakai said Iran is not negotiating directly with Washington. Instead, he said all recent discussions have been conducted exclusively with Oman, and all are focused on establishing what he called, quote, mechanisms for maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Oman has frequently served as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran, carrying messages between the two governments without requiring direct face-to-face negotiations. So it is entirely possible both governments are accurately describing the process from their own perspective. Still, despite the conflicting public narratives, officials on both sides appear to be signaling the same thing, neither appears eager to resume fighting if diplomacy can produce results of any kind. And yes, if this all sounds familiar, that's because we've seen this same pattern in this same conflict before. US. Ambassador to the UN., Mike Waltz, said the administration is deliberately giving diplomacy quote, some space, but added that additional American military assets continue to flow into the region. Waltz said quote, the regime should believe the president when he says they're locked and loaded, end quote.