Iran blames Israel as sailor killed in Ukraine’s ship attack

Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi accused Ukraine of attacking an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea at Israel’s behest, killing a sailor. He urged the EU, UN Security Council, and international community to hold Kyiv accountable, warning the strike could dangerously escalate the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Tehran: Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that the attack on an Iranian commercial vessel by Ukraine, which killed a sailor, was done at the ‘behest’ of Israel to drag Europe into its war.

“(Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelensky has attacked an Iranian commercial vessel, killing a sailor. A blatant UN Charter violation done at Israel’s behest to drag Europe into its war. In calls with EU High Representative Kaja Kallas and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, made clear that what the freeloader in Kyiv CANNOT GO UNANSWERED,” Araghchi said on social media platform X.

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On Saturday, the Iranian Foreign Minister called on the European Union to take “decisive” action against Ukraine’s targeting of an Iranian commercial ship in the Caspian Sea.

He made the remarks in a phone call with EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas, in which the two sides discussed the latest regional developments, according to a statement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

Araghchi condemned the Ukrainian attack, urging the EU, UN Security Council, and international community to hold its “perpetrators” and supporters to account, according to the statement.

The two sides also addressed developments in the Strait of Hormuz, stressing the need for diplomatic initiatives to manage regional tensions, it added.

In a separate statement, the Ministry said it summoned Ukraine’s Charge d’Affaires in Tehran on Saturday over the attack, formally delivering a note of protest condemning the “hostile and criminal” act.

Earlier on Sunday, the Ministry said the Ukrainian attack had caused the vessel to explode, killing a sailor and wounding another, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Ministry said Iran has never intervened in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, adding the strike could further “spread the flames of the war and insecurity in a dangerous manner”.

Also on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country’s forces had hit a Russian warship and vessels used for transporting Iran-linked military cargo in the Caspian Sea.