Iran accuses Ukraine of deadly attack on Caspian commercial vessel

Tehran summons Ukrainian envoy over the attack, which it says killed one sailor and wounded another.Tehran has accused Ukraine of attacking an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, causing an explosion that killed one sailor and injured another.Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires in Tehran to protest what it described as a “hostile and criminal” attack on Saturday, state news agency IRNA reported.Recommended Stories list of 2 itemslist 1 of 2Ukraine’s long-range strikes prompt new Russian threat against Europelist 2 of 2Can Russia serve as an economic lifeline for Iran amid the Hormuz blockade?end of listThe ministry claimed the attack had been acknowledged by the Ukrainian leadership and said it reflected Kyiv’s continued “irrational and hostile approach” towards Iran. It warned Iran would defend its national interests.It also described the incident as a violation of Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter and said it could further inflame and expand the Ukraine-war" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="1200" data-entity-type="event">Russia-Ukraine war.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also discussed the matter in a phone call with the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas, his office said in a statement.Araghchi strongly condemned Ukraine’s military attack on the vessel in the Caspian Sea, and reportedly “called for a firm response from the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, and the international community, and for the perpetrators and supporters of this criminal act to be held accountable”, according to the statement shared on Telegram.‘Pressure’“The Iranians are not really happy with [the attack], while they’re also dealing with a US blockade on the southern coast,” said Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi, reporting from Tehran.He explained that the attacks on Iran’s northern coast are “putting extra pressure” on Iran’s maritime trade.