Ukraine Rejects Iranian Threats, Saying Caspian Sea Strike Targets Russia’s Supply Networks

Iran expressed strong anger over the attack, which it claimed resulted in the death of a sailor and injuries to several crew members. Its foreign ministry stated that Iran has “never intervened in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the assault as “a blatant violation of the UN Charter, carried out at Israel’s behest to draw Europe into its war.”

He emphasized that the incident “cannot go unanswered,” posting the statement on X.

In a Monday statement, Sybiha shared Araghchi’s post, overlaying it with the words “Iranian lies.”

He accused Iran of attempting to divert attention from Russia’s strikes on grain‑carrying vessels from Ukrainian ports, which he warned were endangering global food security.

Ukraine, for its part, has been persistently targeting Russia’s shadowy fleet of oil tankers in an effort to cut off a key revenue stream for the Kremlin.

Combined with drone attacks on oil depots and the Wildberries online retail warehouses, what President Zelensky calls Ukraine’s “long‑range sanctions campaign” is increasingly affecting the Russian economy.

However, some experts have expressed doubts about Kyiv’s decision to open a confrontation with Iran.

“The primary goal is to disrupt trade routes and inflict maximum damage,” former intelligence official Ivan Stupak told the BBC. “Yet opening another front against Iran would not be advisable for Ukraine; it would not be good for us,” he added.

Olha Polishchuk of the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) noted that the Caspian Sea strike was “less about opening a new front against Tehran” and could instead be viewed as an extension of Kyiv’s efforts to target networks supporting Russia’s war.

“Targeting that route enables Kyiv to exert additional pressure on Russia’s supply networks beyond conventional battlefields,” she added.

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