Iran accuses Ukraine of attacking one of its ships in the Caspian Sea

Iran accused Ukraine of attacking one of its commercial vessels in the Caspian Sea on Saturday in an incident that resulted in the death of one sailor and injuries to another, according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency.

IRNA quoted Iran’s Foreign Ministry as saying that the attack, which occurred on Saturday morning, caused an explosion on board the ship.

The ministry condemned the incident, stating, according to IRNA, that “the attack launched by the Ukrainian regime against an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, an act for which the head of this regime has openly claimed responsibility, demonstrates the continued irrational and hostile stance of the Ukrainian regime toward Iran.”

For its part, Ukraine’s intelligence service reported via Telegram that drone attacks had targeted “cargo ships subject to international sanctions that were being used to transport military shipments between Iran and Russia.”

Iran’s state television reported that the Ukrainian chargé d’affaires in Tehran was summoned to the Foreign Ministry on Saturday, where a senior official delivered a strongly worded protest over this “hostile and criminal act.”

Additionally, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, during a conversation with European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, called for a “stern response” from the EU and the UN Security Council in light of the attack, according to IRNA.