Daijiworld Media Network - Tehran
Tehran, Jul 26: Iran has urged the European Union and the international community to take firm action following what it described as a Ukrainian attack on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, saying the incident threatens regional stability and violates international law.
According to a statement issued by Iran's Foreign Ministry, Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi raised the issue during a telephone conversation with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Saturday. The two leaders also discussed the broader security situation in the region, including recent developments in the Strait of Hormuz, and stressed the importance of diplomatic efforts to ease tensions.
During the conversation, Araghchi strongly condemned the alleged attack on the Iranian vessel and called on the European Union, the United Nations Security Council, and the wider international community to hold those responsible, as well as their supporters, accountable.
In a separate development, the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned Ukraine's chargé d'affaires in Tehran and handed over an official protest note, describing the strike as a "hostile and criminal" act.
Iranian authorities said the attack triggered an explosion aboard the commercial ship, leaving one sailor dead and another injured.
The Foreign Ministry maintained that Iran has remained outside the Russia-Ukraine conflict and warned that such actions could dangerously expand the scope of the war and fuel greater regional insecurity.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that Ukrainian forces had struck a Russian warship as well as vessels allegedly used to transport Iran-linked military cargo in the Caspian Sea.
Earlier, Iran's Foreign Ministry said the strike violated the UN Charter and amounted to an "act of aggression." It reiterated that Tehran has not taken part in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and warned that the attack risked escalating the conflict beyond its current boundaries.
The ministry further asserted that Iran would take all necessary steps to safeguard its national security and interests, holding Ukraine responsible for any consequences arising from what it described as Kyiv's "adventurism."