Ukraine urges Iran to avoid escalation after Caspian Sea vessel strike
KYIV, July 28, Saudi Arabia Breaking News — Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha urged Iran to avoid further escalation after Tehran accused Ukraine of striking an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea.
Sybiha said he held a “frank” call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday as Iranian officials intensified threats against Kyiv over the incident.
Ukraine said its drones struck two Russian vessels carrying military cargo in the Caspian Sea over the weekend. Kyiv said both ships had departed from Iran and were heading to a Russian port.
Iran said one of the vessels was an Iranian commercial ship transporting iron. The attack killed one crew member and injured three others, according to Tehran.
Sybiha said he told Araghchi that “all of Ukraine’s actions are aimed solely at defending our country from Russian aggression and never intended to target civilian vessels or people.”
“This is also true with regard to Iran’s statements about their national who died and a civilian vessel that was targeted in a recent incident,” Sybiha wrote on X.
The Ukrainian minister described Moscow as the “root cause of all incidents” and stressed the need to prevent “unnecessary escalation” between Ukraine and Iran.
Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency confirmed that the call had taken place but did not provide details of the discussion, CNN reported.
The diplomatic exchange came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met US President Donald Trump at the White House earlier on Tuesday.
