Iran vows retaliation after merchant ship attack, blames Israel for Ukraine strike

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday accused Ukraine of attacking an Iranian merchant vessel in the Caspian Sea, killing a crew member, and warned of retaliation.

Araghchi posted on his X account that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had attacked an Iranian merchant ship, killing one crew member. He criticized the strike as "a clear violation of the UN Charter, instigated by Israel to drag Europe into their war," claiming Israel was behind Ukraine's attack on the Iranian vessel.

Araghchi said he had spoken separately by phone with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov about the attack. He then warned that "the freeloader in Kyiv" — a reference to the Zelensky government — "will not get away with this outrage unanswered and will be made to pay the price."