Iran's Foreign Minister Vows Retaliation Against Ukraine

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has personally blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for an attack on an Iranian merchant ship in the Caspian Sea that killed a sailor, warning that the incident ‘cannot be left without a response’. In a post on X, Araghchi called the attack a ‘clear violation of the UN Charter’. ‘This was carried out on Israel’s orders to drag Europe into its war,’ he said. He stated he had discussed the matter directly by telephone with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. ‘We affirm that the actions carried out by those merely hitching a ride on Kyiv’s interests CANNOT BE LEFT WITHOUT A RESPONSE’. The warning followed a statement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who confirmed a long-range Ukrainian strike in the Caspian Sea against vessels used to transport Iranian-linked military cargo. Ukrainian intelligence services reported the targeting of a sanctioned cargo ship transporting military equipment between Iran and Russia. Iran’s Foreign Ministry reported an explosion aboard the commercial vessel on Saturday morning that also injured another sailor, while stating that Tehran remains neutral in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. State television confirmed that Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires in Tehran had been summoned to receive a protest over what Iran called a ‘hostile and criminal act’.