The Iranian Foreign Minister, Araghchi, stated on the 26th: "Ukrainian forces attacked an Iranian civilian merchant vessel, resulting in the death of one crew member. This act blatantly violates the UN Charter and was carried out at Israel's request, aiming to drag Europe into this war. I made it clear during my calls with EU Foreign Minister Kallas and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov: the actions committed by Kyiv, a beneficiary of external aid, must not go unanswered."
The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned Ukraine’s attack on an Iranian merchant ship in the Caspian Sea on Saturday, stating that the assault caused an explosion, led to the death of one crew member and injured another, and accused Kyiv of attempting to expand the war in Ukraine. Iran described the incident as an act of aggression and emphasized its determination to defend national interests and security.
The two sides offer conflicting accounts. Ukraine asserts that the targeted vessel was transporting military supplies to Russia, while Iran insists it was a regular civilian merchant ship and stresses that it has not taken part in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Ukraine’s bold extension of long-range strikes to the distant Caspian Sea aims to cut off Russia’s supply route through Iran, but such transnational maritime attacks carry a high risk of spillover, intertwining the Ukraine war with the Middle East situation. The most dangerous scenario now is if Iran retaliates—leading to multiple fronts becoming entangled, further expanding regional instability.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1871837416054858/
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