The Media Line: Iran Accuses Israel of Orchestrating Ukrainian Strike on Ship in Caspian Sea  

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

By The Media Line Staff  

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused Israel of directing Ukraine to attack an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, claiming the strike killed one sailor and wounded another while calling for international action against those responsible.  

Araghchi made the allegation during separate conversations with European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov following what Iran said was a Ukrainian strike on Saturday.  

“Zelenskyy has attacked an Iranian commercial vessel, killing a sailor,” Araghchi wrote on X. “A blatant UN Charter violation done at Israel’s behest to drag Europe into its war.”  

“In calls with EU High Representative Kallas and Foreign Minister Lavrov, [I] made clear that what the freeloader in Kyiv did cannot go unanswered,” he added.  

Araghchi did not provide evidence to support his claim that Israel was involved in the attack. Iran described the strike as an act of aggression and a violation of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, arguing that it risked widening the Russia-Ukraine conflict.  

During his discussion with Kallas, Araghchi urged the European Union, the UN Security Council and the broader international community to take what he described as “decisive” action and hold both those responsible for the attack and their supporters accountable.  

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that Ukrainian forces had struck a Russian warship as well as vessels transporting military cargo linked to Iran in the Caspian Sea. Kyiv has not characterized the targeted ships as ordinary commercial vessels.  

Zelenskyy also accused Moscow of supplying Iran with satellite surveillance of Gulf countries and U.S. military installations. He said Russian imagery appeared to correspond with Iranian preparations for attacks in the region as well as subsequent assessments of those operations.  

Iran’s accusations and Ukraine’s description of the operation present conflicting accounts of the vessels targeted in the strike. Araghchi maintained that the ship was a commercial vessel, while Zelenskyy said the operation targeted vessels carrying military cargo associated with Iran.