Ukraine Denies Iran's Retaliatory Threats After Caspian Sea Attack

Tehran. Ukraine has denied Iran's retaliatory threats following an attack on an Iranian cargo ship in the Caspian Sea. The incident on Saturday is considered to have established the first direct link between the Ukraine-Russia war and regional tensions involving Iran.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on social media platform X that Iran's threats were baseless and inappropriate. According to him, Tehran has been directly assisting in the attack on Ukraine by providing weapons to Russia since 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that the long-range attack in the Caspian Sea region was very successful. He also informed that ships carrying military equipment related to Iran were targeted. According to Ukraine's Security Service SBU, a drone attack damaged an oil platform in the northern Caspian Sea, a Russian missile boat, and a cargo ship carrying military goods under international sanctions.

According to Iran's Ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the ship named Anna was anchored about five kilometers from the mouth of the Volga River at the time of the attack. Ukraine's Ambassador to Israel, Yevhen Korniychuk, claimed that the ship was carrying drone and missile parts from Iran to Russia, not civilian goods.

In an interview with Israeli media, he said that Ukraine and Israel are facing the same evil alliance on different fronts. Russia and Iran have maintained close military ties in recent years. Iran began supplying its own Shahed drones to Russia in 2022. Russia has been attacking various cities in Ukraine using modified versions of these drones. Zelenskyy claimed in a recent interview that Iran is also preparing to supply ballistic missiles to Russia. According to various reports, short-range missiles have been supplied to Russia since 2024.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has also stated that in recent months it has sent its military experts to some Gulf countries to help enhance security capabilities against Iranian drone attacks. The Caspian Sea is considered a very important military and supply route between Russia and Iran. Ukraine has long accused Iran of supplying drones that have killed hundreds of Ukrainian civilians. However, this is considered the first incident of directly targeting an Iranian ship.

Following the attack, Iran reacted strongly, stating that one sailor died and several others were injured. Iran's Foreign Ministry claimed that it has never interfered in the Russia-Ukraine war. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the attack of being a blatant violation of the UN Charter. According to him, this attack was instigated by Israel with the aim of drawing Europe into the war. He also warned that a response to this incident would definitely be given.

In response, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Sybiha called Araghchi's statement an Iranian lie. He also accused Iran of trying to divert the world's attention from Russia's attacks on ships carrying grain from Ukrainian ports.

Ukraine has also been continuously targeting tankers of Russia's so-called network of disguised oil tankers in recent months. President Zelenskyy has named the campaign to weaken Russia's financial resources through long-range attacks on oil storage centers and other strategic infrastructure as a long-range sanctions campaign.