Iran Accuses Israel of Orchestrating Ukrainian Strike on Ship in Caspian Sea

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused Israel of orchestrating a Ukrainian strike on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea on Saturday, which he claimed killed one sailor and wounded another. Araghchi discussed the alleged attack with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, stating, "Zelenskyy has attacked an Iranian commercial vessel, killing a sailor. A blatant UN Charter violation done at Israel’s behest to drag Europe into its war." He called for decisive international action against those responsible and their supporters, arguing the strike violated the UN Charter and risked escalating the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed Ukrainian forces struck a Russian warship and vessels transporting military cargo linked to Iran in the Caspian Sea, but did not characterize them as ordinary commercial vessels. Araghchi did not provide evidence for Israel's alleged involvement.