TEHRAN, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has warned that Iran will respond to what he described as a Ukrainian attack on an Iranian commercial vessel, saying the incident “cannot go unanswered.”
In a statement, Araghchi accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of ordering the strike, claiming that the attack targeted an Iranian commercial ship and resulted in the death of one crew member.
The Iranian foreign minister said he had separately spoken by telephone with European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, informing both that Iran intends to respond to the alleged attack.
Araghchi said Tehran had made it clear during the conversations that the strike on the Iranian vessel would draw a response, though he did not provide details on the nature or timing of any retaliatory action.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a Russian vessel allegedly transporting weapons to Iran in the Caspian Sea had been targeted, without specifically identifying the ship.
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The competing statements from Tehran and Kyiv could further heighten tensions between the two countries as regional and international security concerns continue to grow.
Neither Ukraine nor independent international sources have immediately verified Iran’s allegations regarding the ownership of the vessel or the circumstances surrounding the reported attack.
