Iran urges EU to act after Ukraine strikes Iranian ship in Caspian Sea
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Tehran: Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Saturday urged the European Union to take “decisive” action after Ukraine struck an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, Tehran’s foreign ministry said.
Araghchi conveyed the demand during a phone call with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, according to an Iranian foreign ministry statement. He condemned the attack and called on the EU, the UN Security Council and the international community to hold the “perpetrators” and their backers accountable.
The ministry said it summoned Ukraine’s charge d’affaires in Tehran on Saturday and delivered a formal note of protest, describing the strike as a “hostile and criminal” act. It added that the attack caused the vessel to explode, killing one sailor and wounding another.
Iran warned the strike — which Tehran said violated the UN Charter — risked further spreading the war and regional insecurity, and said it would not hesitate to defend its national interests, holding Ukraine responsible for the consequences of what it called “adventurism.”
The call with Kallas also covered tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, with both sides stressing the need for diplomatic measures to manage regional stability.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier said Ukrainian forces had hit a Russian warship and vessels allegedly used to carry Iran-linked military cargo in the Caspian Sea.
(Inputs from IANS)