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Iran has warned Ukraine of retaliation following a Ukrainian attack on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea that killed one sailor, with Tehran accusing Israel of orchestrating the strike. The warning came from a senior Iranian lawmaker and was echoed by Iran's foreign minister, who said the attack "cannot go unanswered."

Coverage comparison

Al Jazeera reported that Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the attack on the Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea "cannot go unanswered," calling it a violation of the United Nations Charter. In a social media post on Sunday, Araghchi accused Israel of provoking the attack in an attempt to "drag Europe into its war." He said he made the comments in calls with European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

According to Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ukrainian attack on Saturday caused the commercial vessel to explode, killing one sailor and injuring several others.

TASS — English reported that Iran won't leave Ukraine's actions unanswered, citing a warning from Ebrahim Azizi, chairman of the Islamic Republic's Parliament National Security Committee. Azizi posted on X: "Any attack on Iran always comes at a cost, and this remains true today. The United States and Israel are well aware of this. Ukraine too may soon realize that Iran does not leave its actions unanswered. The list of those who miscalculated is still growing."

Key claims

  • An Iranian commercial vessel was attacked in the Caspian Sea, killing one sailor and injuring several others, according to Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  • Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the attack "cannot go unanswered" and accused Israel of provoking it to drag Europe into its war.
  • A senior Iranian lawmaker, Ebrahim Azizi, warned that Ukraine may face retaliation, saying Iran does not let actions go unanswered.
  • Ukraine claimed it had targeted a Russian warship and vessels used for transporting Iranian-linked military cargo in the Caspian Sea.
  • Iran denied intervening in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X that Ukraine had achieved "very strong results" with long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea.
According to Al Jazeera, Ukraine said it had targeted a Russian warship and vessels used for transporting Iranian-linked military cargo in the Caspian Sea. But Iran's Foreign Ministry said Iran "has never intervened in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine."

On the same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X that Ukraine had achieved "very strong results" with long-range strikes, as reported by Al Jazeera. The outlet also reported that Iran summoned Ukraine's charge d'affaires in Tehran over the strike, protesting what it called a "hostile and criminal act."

TASS — English reported that according to Iran's top diplomat Abbas Araghchi, Kiev delivered the attack on instructions from Israel in order to drag Europe into the war in the Middle East.