Arabic version: كييف تحث إيران على تجنب التصعيد بعد هجوم في بحر قزوين

According to Al Jazeera, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha urged Iran to refrain from escalation after Tehran denounced a Ukrainian drone attack on one of its ships in the Caspian Sea. Sybiha said he spoke by phone with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and called for an end to support for Russia’s war against Ukraine.

In a post on X, Sybiha said he had emphasised the need to avoid escalatory steps, describing Russia’s war as illegal and saying it must end. He said Ukraine’s actions were solely intended to defend the country from Russian aggression and were never meant to target civilian vessels or people.

Iranian media reported that Araghchi said Sybiha had assured him the attack was unintentional and that Ukraine did not want to raise tensions. Araghchi said Iran also did not seek escalation, but maintained that attacks on Iranian citizens or interests were unacceptable and that restitution was required for losses.

Araghchi said on Sunday that the attack on an Iranian commercial vessel killed one sailor and injured another. Ukraine said it had targeted a Russian warship and vessels used to transport Iranian-linked military cargo in the Caspian Sea. Iran has supplied Russia with Iranian-designed drones during the more than four-year conflict, while Ukraine has developed technology to counter drone threats.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he also spoke with Sybiha on Tuesday about challenges facing their countries, including what he called the threat posed by Iran. Separately, Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Azizi warned that Iran would not leave the Caspian Sea attack unanswered, calling it miscalculated.