Iran summons Ukrainian diplomat after Caspian Sea vessel attack
Iran accused Ukraine of striking an Iranian commercial ship in the Caspian Sea, killing one crew member and injuring another, and called the incident a violation of international law.
Iran's foreign ministry summoned Ukraine's chargé d’affaires in Tehran on Saturday to protest an explosion on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea that killed one sailor and wounded another. The ministry said the attack had been acknowledged by Ukrainian officials and described it as a "hostile and criminal" act that breaches Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter and could widen the Russia-Ukraine war.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas that Iran condemned the strike and urged the United Nations Security Council, the EU and the broader international community to respond and hold the perpetrators accountable.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on X that Kyiv had achieved "very strong results" with long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea, targeting vessels used for military cargo shipments involving Iran and a warship, though he did not name the commercial ship cited by Tehran.
The incident follows ongoing tensions between Tehran and Kyiv, which date back to 2022 when Iran supplied Russia with Shahed drones used against Ukrainian cities. Ukraine claims to have downed more than 44,000 of the Iranian-designed drones since the conflict began.