Tehran Accuses Ukraine of Attacking Iranian Ship in Caspian, Killing One Sailor
Tehran says one sailor was killed and another wounded in what it describes as a violation of international law, after Ukraine claimed strikes on vessels linked to Iranian military cargo.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Iran's Foreign Ministry on Saturday strongly condemned what it described as a Ukrainian military attack on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, saying the incident killed one Iranian sailor and wounded another.
According to a Foreign Ministry statement issued on Saturday, the attack caused an explosion aboard the vessel and was denounced by Tehran as a violation of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter and an act of aggression that could further escalate the conflict.
The ministry said the attack targeted an Iranian merchant ship in the Caspian Sea, resulting in the death of one crew member and injuries to another.
In its statement, Tehran argued that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's public acknowledgment of the operation demonstrated what it described as Ukraine's continued "hostile and irrational" conduct toward Iran.
The ministry reiterated Iran's position that it has never been a party to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Iran called on the UN Security Council and European countries to adopt what it described as a responsible position toward the incident.
The Foreign Ministry also stressed that, under international law and the principle of legitimate self-defense, Iran would not hesitate to safeguard its national security and interests. It added that Kyiv and its allies would bear full responsibility for the consequences of what it described as Ukraine's actions.
Zelenskyy claims strikes on vessels
Earlier on Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X that Ukrainian long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea had achieved significant results.
According to the statement, Zelenskyy said the operation struck several Russian vessels as well as ships transporting military equipment linked to Iran.