Iran has warned it will respond to a Ukrainian strike on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea that resulted in one sailor's death and another injury. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stated the attack "cannot go unanswered."
Iranian officials said the strike caused an explosion on the vessel, killing one crew member and wounding another.
Araqchi communicated the warning during separate phone calls with European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, which he disclosed in a post on X.
Russia's Foreign Ministry released a statement in which Lavrov expressed condolences for the death of the Iranian sailor. The statement noted that Araqchi thanked officials in Russia's Astrakhan region, where the ship had departed, for assisting the crew after the incident. It also indicated that Araqchi "stressed the need to put an end to such adventures by the Kyiv regime."
According to the Kremlin, Araqchi briefed Lavrov on Iran's ongoing diplomatic efforts, informing him of "continuing diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalating tension in the Middle East."