Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha held a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, following Tehran’s claims that a civilian vessel had been damaged and an Iranian citizen killed. The Ukrainian diplomat stressed that Kyiv’s actions were aimed solely at defending the country against Russian aggression and urged Iran to refrain from escalation.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported the conversation.
According to Sybiha, the purpose of the direct dialogue was to prevent an unnecessary escalation between Ukraine and Iran.
“Diplomacy means speaking directly, even when the conversation is difficult,” the minister said.
Ukraine denies any intention to target civilian vessels
During the talks, Sybiha reiterated that Ukraine does not seek to attack civilian vessels or people.
He said this also applied to Iran’s claims regarding the death of one of its citizens and damage to a civilian ship in one of the recent incidents.
“Our goal is to counter Russian aggression, which is the root cause of all related incidents, and it is Russia that bears full responsibility for all provocations and casualties,” the Ukrainian foreign minister said.
Sybiha also called on Tehran to end all support for Russia’s war against Ukraine. He stressed that the war is illegal and must end.
What is known about the incident involving the Iranian vessel
The conversation took place amid a sharp deterioration in relations between Kyiv and Tehran following reports of an attack on an Iranian merchant vessel in the Caspian Sea.
Iran said one sailor was killed and another person was injured in the incident. Tehran accused Ukraine of striking a civilian ship and warned that the incident allegedly “could not go unanswered.”
Ukraine maintained that the vessel was linked to the transportation of military cargo between Iran and Russia. However, there has been no independent confirmation of the nature of the cargo or all the circumstances surrounding the attack.
Ukraine-Iran relations deteriorated over Shahed drones
Tensions between Kyiv and Tehran have persisted since 2022, when Russia began using Iranian-designed Shahed attack drones against Ukraine on a large scale.
Ukraine has accused Iran of supplying Russia with drones and the technology needed to manufacture them. Moscow subsequently launched serial production of modified Iranian-designed UAVs at a plant in Tatarstan.
Because of Tehran’s military cooperation with Moscow, Ukraine downgraded diplomatic relations with Iran in 2022. Kyiv has also imposed sanctions on Iranian individuals and entities it linked to support for Russia’s military-industrial complex.
Kyiv calls for the conflict not to expand
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said the country’s position remained unchanged: Europe and the Middle East deserve stability, security and peace.
Sybiha urged Iran to refrain from any steps that could further expand the conflict and to end its assistance to Russia in the war against Ukraine.
