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Iran has warned that a Ukrainian attack on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea “cannot go unanswered”, after Tehran said the strike killed one sailor and injured another.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the 25 July attack as an act of aggression and summoned Ukraine’s diplomatic representative in Tehran over the incident. Iran said it reserved the right to defend its national interests and security.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later said: “Zelenskyy has attacked an Iranian commercial vessel, killing a sailor. A blatant UN Charter violation done at Israel’s behest to drag Europe into its war.”
“In calls with EU High Rep Kallas and FM Lavrov, made clear that what the freeloader in Kyiv did CANNOT GO UNANSWERED.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not publicly confirmed that the Iranian commercial vessel was specifically targeted. However, he said Ukraine had achieved “very strong results with long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea – including vessels used in military cargo shipments involving Iran”.
The confrontation comes amid longstanding tensions between Kyiv and Tehran over Iran’s military support for Russia.
In an interview with Sky News, Zelenskyy said Iran had already effectively attacked Ukraine by supplying weapons to Moscow.
“We have to be cautious. We have to do everything not to open a new front in any way. But we have to be honest. Iranians and North Koreans already attacked us. I hope that they will not increase these attacks, but we have to be ready for everything.
“And to know that we can’t trust these people, because at the very beginning, without any messages, any kind of escalation from our side, Iranians gave weapons, North Koreans gave weapons. Drones, missiles, artillery rounds 155-calibre, and people – 10,000 North Koreans.”
Zelenskyy said Iran supplied Russia with thousands of Shahed drones during the first year of the war before transferring production licences.
“They gave thousands of these drones in the first year of the war. Then they gave licences. What did they do? Did they attack us? I think yes. So they already did it,” he said.
Zelenskyy has also accused Russia of providing Iran with satellite imagery to help direct strikes in the Middle East.
The Caspian Sea provides a strategic transport route between Russia and Iran. Ukraine has increasingly targeted vessels and infrastructure it says are involved in moving military supplies between the two countries.
