Iran Says Ukrainian Attack on Its Merchant Vessel 'Cannot Be Left Unanswered'

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that a Ukrainian attack on an Iranian merchant vessel, which killed one sailor, “cannot be left unanswered.” “Zelenskyy has attacked an Iranian merchant ship, killing a sailor,” Araghchi said on his X account. He described the attack as a “blatant violation of the UN Charter,” claiming it was carried out “on Israel’s orders to drag Europe into its war.” Araghchi said he conveyed Iran’s position during separate phone calls with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. On Saturday, Iran summoned Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires over claims of a Ukrainian military attack on an Iranian merchant ship in the Caspian Sea, which killed one sailor and injured others. On the same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X that Ukraine had achieved “very strong results” with long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea, including against “vessels used in the shipment of military cargo involving Iran, as well as a warship.”