Iran accuses Ukraine of deadly long-range strike on merchant ship in Caspian Sea; one sailor killed

Iran accused Ukraine of attacking one of its merchant vessels in the Caspian Sea on Saturday morning, a strike that killed one sailor and wounded a second. The official IRNA news agency reported the incident on Sunday, citing the Iranian foreign ministry, and said the Ukrainian charge d'affaires in Tehran was summoned over what it called a "hostile and criminal attack."

Iranian condemnation

Iran's foreign ministry denounced the attack as a violation of international law and an "act of aggression." It warned that such actions risked widening the conflict. In a statement carried by IRNA, the ministry took direct aim at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“The attack carried out by the Ukrainian regime against an Iranian merchant ship in the Caspian Sea, explicitly claimed by the head of that regime, testifies to the persistence of the irrational and hostile attitude of the Ukrainian regime against Iran.”

The ministry insisted that the Islamic Republic "has never intervened in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine."

Ukraine's account

Zelensky said on social media Saturday that his forces had achieved "very solid results with long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea," targeting vessels used for military cargo transport involving Iran as well as a warship. Ukraine's SBU intelligence service said on Telegram that drones struck "cargo ships under international sanctions that were used to transport military cargo between Iran and Russia."

“We have obtained very strong results with long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea, targeting in particular vessels used for the transport of military cargo involving Iran, as well as a warship.”

Diplomatic reactions

Following the strike, the Ukrainian charge d'affaires in Tehran was summoned to the foreign ministry and rebuked by a senior official. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later spoke with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, urging a "firm response" from the European Union and the United Nations Security Council, IRNA reported.

Tehran's move to involve the EU and Security Council signals an effort to internationalise an incident that Kyiv frames as a legitimate extension of its war with Russia. The Caspian Sea, long a staging ground for Russian military logistics, has become an increasingly contested space as Ukraine develops longer-range strike capabilities.