Tehran and Moscow have discussed a deadly Ukrainian drone strike on an Iranian commercial vessel in Russia’s territorial waters in the Caspian Sea, while also reviewing broader cooperation in the region.
According to the state IRNA news agency, Iran’s Ambassador to Moscow, Kazem Jalali, and the Kremlin’s Special Representative for Caspian Sea Affairs, Nikolay Udovichenko, discussed the latest regional developments, focusing on Caspian Sea issues following Saturday’s attack, as well as the promotion of bilateral relations.
“The meeting on Wednesday focused on examining the attack on the Iranian ship in Russia’s territorial waters in the Caspian Sea and its destructive backlashes of the attack which claimed the life of one sailor and left several seamen wounded,” an Iranian Embassy statement said.
Tehran has stressed that its commercial vessel was carrying only non-military cargo, vowing to hold Kyiv accountable for the attack and promising an appropriate response.
“We think it is justified to expect that Russia will retaliate the attack,” Ambassador Jalali was quoted as saying by the agency.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei condemned the attack as “illegitimate and contrary to the UN Charter”, rejecting Ukrainian officials’ allegations linking Tehran to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X that, during discussions with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, he emphasised that the strike “cannot remain unanswered.”
In an apparent effort to prevent further escalation in already strained relations between Tehran and Kyiv over allegations that Iran supports Russia in its war against Ukraine, Araghchi and his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, held a telephone conversation on Tuesday.
According to official sources, Iran’s foreign minister demanded “restitution for losses”, while strongly condemning Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for ordering the attack.
Following the telephone call, Tehran appeared to exercise restraint amid unconfirmed media reports that the Islamic Republic had been considering a reprisal by targeting a Ukrainian port.
“Iran considered attacking a seaport in Ukraine in response to a Ukrainian strike on an Iranian ship, but a flurry of diplomacy has calmed the situation for now,” The New York Times reported, quoting unnamed Iranian and Western diplomats.
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