Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has denounced a recent military strike on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, asserting that the attack resulted in the death of one sailor and left another injured. Araghchi stated on the social media platform X that the incident, which he characterized as a blatant violation of the UN Charter, “cannot go unanswered.”
The Iranian government alleged that the military operation was carried out by Ukraine at the behest of Israel, claiming the move was intended to draw Europe into the ongoing war. Following the incident, Tehran summoned Ukraine’s charge d’affaires to express its formal protest. Araghchi confirmed that he had discussed the matter in separate phone calls with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
The accusations follow comments made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on X, where he stated that Ukraine had achieved “very strong results” through long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea. Zelenskyy specifically referenced targeting vessels involved in military cargo shipments linked to Iran, as well as a warship.
In response to these developments, Iran’s Foreign Ministry characterized the Ukrainian leadership's acknowledgment of the strike as evidence of an “irrational and hostile approach” toward Tehran. The ministry reiterated that Iran has never intervened in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and accused Kiev of attempting to widen the scope of the war and spread insecurity. Tehran has called upon the UN Security Council, European nations, and all UN member states to hold the Ukrainian leadership accountable for what it described as an internationally wrongful act.
