Iran has accused Ukraine of attacking one of its commercial vessels in the Caspian Sea, killing one sailor and injuring another, with Foreign Minister
Abbas Araghchi warning that the incident "cannot go unanswered." Iran said the alleged strike caused an explosion aboard the vessel, although it did not specify when the incident occurred or provide further details about the ship or its location. Araghchi said he raised the issue during separate phone calls with European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. He blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the attack but did not provide additional evidence to support the allegation. In a statement published by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov offered condolences over the death of the sailor. The statement said Araghchi thanked authorities in Russia's Astrakhan region, where the vessel had begun its journey, for assisting the crew and "stressed the need to put an end to such adventures by the Kyiv regime."
It added that Araghchi also briefed Lavrov on "continuing diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalating tension in the Middle East."
Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned what it described as a Ukrainian attack on the vessel, calling it a "hostile and criminal" act. According to Iran's state news agency IRNA, Ukraine's chargé d'affaires in Tehran was summoned to receive Iran's formal protest.
Tehran said it would defend its national interests and security, accusing Kyiv of attempting to widen the war beyond Ukraine.
Ukraine has not publicly responded to Iran's latest accusations.
Throughout the war, Ukraine has defended itself against Iranian-designed drones used by Russia and has offered its drone interception expertise to countries in the Middle East that have faced attacks by Iran.
The Iranian allegations came as President Zelenskyy said Ukraine had observed Russia sharing satellite imagery of the Middle East with Iran to assist in planning regional strikes.
In comments posted on X, Zelenskyy said Ukraine had recorded "active Russian satellite surveillance of the Gulf states and U.S. military facilities located there" since the beginning of July. "These images subsequently appear in Iran," he said.
"At the same time, there is a clear correlation between Russia's satellite imagery of these sites and Iranian strikes — both before the attacks, in preparation for them, and afterward, to assess the damage inflicted," he added.
Zelenskyy said that on 19 and 20 July alone, Russian satellite surveillance had included four air bases: two in Bahrain, one in Jordan and one in Kuwait.
He had earlier said Ukrainian forces had struck a Russian warship and other vessels allegedly used to transport Iranian-linked military cargo in the Caspian Sea.
