Iran vows retaliation after Caspian Sea ship attack, blames Ukraine and Israel

Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, has directly accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of orchestrating an attack on an Iranian merchant ship in the Caspian Sea, an incident that resulted in the death of one sailor. Araghchi condemned the act as a "flagrant violation of the UN Charter" and issued a stern warning that it "cannot go unanswered." He further alleged that the attack was carried out under Israel's direction, aiming to involve Europe in the ongoing conflict.

Araghchi stated that he had discussed the matter directly with the European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. He reiterated Iran's stance that the actions by those "merely riding on the interests of Kyiv" are unacceptable. This strong condemnation follows President Zelenskyy's confirmation of Ukrainian long-range strikes targeting ships in the Caspian Sea that were allegedly transporting military cargo for Iran.

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This is a flagrant violation of the UN Charter. It was done on Israel's orders to drag Europe into its war.

Ukraine's intelligence services reported targeting sanctioned cargo ships carrying military equipment between Iran and Russia. The Iranian Foreign Ministry confirmed an explosion aboard the commercial vessel on Saturday morning, which also injured another sailor. Despite these events, Tehran has maintained a neutral position in the broader Russia-Ukraine conflict. In response to the incident, Iran's Foreign Ministry summoned the Ukrainian charge d'affaires in Tehran to formally protest what it described as a "hostile and criminal act."

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We emphasize that the actions carried out by those who are merely riding on the interests of Kyiv are UNACCEPTABLE AND CANNOT GO UNANSWERED.