Iran accuses Ukraine of Caspian attack on commercial vessel
Tehran says a strike on an Iranian commercial ship in the Caspian Sea killed one sailor and injured another.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
Iran has accused Ukraine of attacking an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, saying an explosion killed one sailor and wounded another. The Iran-Ukraine Caspian attack allegation adds a new maritime flashpoint to tensions already shaped by the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires in Tehran on Saturday to protest the incident, state news agency IRNA reported. The ministry described the strike as hostile and criminal, and said Tehran would defend its national interests.
The ministry claimed Ukraine’s leadership had acknowledged the attack and said the incident reflected what it called Kyiv’s continuing hostile approach toward Iran. It also said the strike violated Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter, which bars states from using force against another state’s territorial integrity or political independence.
What happened in the Caspian Sea?
Iran says an Iranian commercial ship was hit in the Caspian Sea, causing a blast that killed one crew member and injured another. Tehran has blamed Ukraine, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said separately that Kyiv had achieved strong results with long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea.
In a post on X, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian strikes had hit vessels used for military cargo shipments involving Iran, as well as a warship. He did not identify the commercial vessel that Tehran said had been attacked.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry warned that the incident could widen or worsen the Russia-Ukraine war. In its statement, the ministry repeated Tehran’s position that Iran has not intervened in that conflict.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi raised the matter in a phone call with Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s high representative for foreign affairs, according to a statement from his office. The statement said Araghchi condemned Ukraine’s military attack on the vessel and urged a firm response from the United Nations Security Council, the European Union and the wider international community.
Araghchi also called for those responsible, and those supporting them, to be held accountable, according to the statement shared on Telegram. The report did not say what response, if any, Kallas gave during the call.
Why are Iran and Ukraine at odds?
Relations between Iran and Ukraine have been strained since 2022, when Iran sold Shahed drones to Russia. Moscow has since adapted and launched thousands of Iranian-designed drones at Ukrainian cities, according to Kyiv.
Ukraine says it has shot down more than 44,000 of those drones since Russia’s full-scale invasion. Kyiv has also offered drone interceptors and technical expertise to Gulf governments that faced Iranian attacks during the US-Iran war, deploying anti-drone specialists to Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
Zelenskyy also alleged that Russia had supplied Iran with satellite imagery of Gulf states and United States military sites. He said surveillance carried out on July 19 and 20 covered airbases in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait.
Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi, reporting from Tehran, said the Caspian incident had added pressure on Iran’s maritime trade while the country was also dealing with a US blockade on its southern coast. He said attacks on Iran’s northern coast were increasing strain on commercial shipping.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.