WANA (Jul 26) – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Ukrainian attack on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea “will not go unanswered,” following separate phone calls with European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

 

Araghchi said the attack, which he stated killed an Iranian sailor, constituted a clear violation of the United Nations Charter. He also claimed that the strike had been carried out at Israel’s instigation in an effort to draw Europe into the conflict.

 

In a post on X, the Iranian foreign minister said he had stressed during his conversations with Kallas and Lavrov that “the opportunistic regime in Kyiv cannot carry out such an act without facing consequences.”

 

His remarks came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Saturday that Ukrainian forces had targeted what he described as “Iran-linked vessels carrying military cargo” in the Caspian Sea. In a post on X, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces had struck a Russian warship as well as vessels allegedly used to transport military shipments linked to Iran.

 

Iran’s Foreign Ministry also announced Saturday night that an Iranian commercial vessel had come under attack in the Caspian Sea earlier that day, leaving one sailor dead and several others injured. The ministry condemned the attack, calling it a violation of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter and describing it as “an act of aggression” that could further escalate regional tensions.

 

According to the Foreign Ministry, Araghchi discussed the incident and its implications with Kaja Kallas on Saturday evening and held a separate phone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Sunday.