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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Monday pushed back against Iran’s claims concerning a Caspian Sea merchant vessel drone strike. In a reply to Iranian top diplomat Abbas Araghchi on social media, Sybiha countered by branding Tehran "a direct accomplice" to the ongoing Russian war.
Writing on X, Sybiha dismissed Iran's threats as "unjustified and groundless," arguing that Tehran has enabled Moscow's military campaign by supplying weapons used against Ukraine since 2022.
"Iran has no standing to pretend to be a victim, let alone justify its threats with absurd references to the U.N. Charter," Sybiha said.
The latest exchange follows an incident that Iran says occurred on Saturday, when a Ukrainian attack struck one of its commercial vessels in the Caspian Sea, killing a sailor and injuring another.
In a statement after the strike, Zelenskyy said Ukraine had achieved "very strong results" with long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea, including against "vessels used in military cargo shipments involving Iran, as well as a warship."
Tehran condemned the strike as an act of aggression, summoned Ukraine's charge d'affaires, and called on the U.N. Security Council, the European Union and the international community to hold those responsible accountable.
A day later, Araghchi accused Ukrainian President Zelenskyy of ordering the attack, calling it "a blatant U.N. Charter violation" carried out "at Israel's behest."
Turkmenistan's Foreign Ministry also condemned the reported military attack on Iranian commercial vessels in the Caspian Sea as "unacceptable."
The reported Caspian Sea strike comes as Ukraine expands its campaign against Russian maritime logistics beyond the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
Kyiv has stepped up long-range drone attacks on tankers, dry cargo vessels and tugboats that it says transport fuel, military supplies and other cargo supporting Russian forces, while also seeking to isolate Russian-occupied Crimea and disrupt Moscow's export routes.
Ukrainian officials say more than 100 Russian vessels have been targeted during the campaign, prompting Russia to tighten shipping restrictions in the Sea of Azov and impose temporary limits on vessel movements at the port of Novorossiysk.
Most recently, the Kremlin on Monday dismissed reports that Ukraine and the United States are discussing a possible air ceasefire, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov calling them "nothing more than media speculation" and saying Moscow has seen no concrete details or formal proposals.
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