Iran accuses Ukraine of deadly attack on Caspian commercial vessel - Al Jazeera

What the report says

Al Jazeera reported that Iran has accused Ukraine of carrying out an attack on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, saying an explosion killed one sailor and injured another. The report, published July 25, 2026, said Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires in Tehran after the incident, which it described as a “hostile and criminal” act, according to Iran’s state news agency IRNA.

Tehran said the alleged attack had been acknowledged by Ukraine’s leadership and argued it violated Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter. Iran warned that it would defend its national interests and said the incident could widen tensions linked to the Russia-Ukraine war. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also raised the matter with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, calling for a response from the UN Security Council, the European Union and the wider international community, according to a statement from his office.

Al Jazeera noted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had separately said Kyiv achieved “very strong results” with long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea, targeting vessels he said were used for military cargo shipments involving Iran, as well as a warship. The report said Zelenskyy did not identify the Iranian commercial vessel cited by Tehran as one of the targets.

The accusation comes amid longstanding friction between Tehran and Kyiv since Iran sold Shahed drones to Russia in 2022. Ukraine says Russia has adapted and used large numbers of those Iranian-designed drones against Ukrainian cities, while Iran’s Foreign Ministry maintains that Tehran has not intervened in the war.