Saturday, in a post on X bragging about long range Ukrainian strikes deep into Russia, Volodymyr Zelensky, the acting president of Ukraine, also included the following: “We also achieved very strong results with long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea—including vessels used in military cargo shipments involving Iran, as well as a warship.” Reuters, citing the SBU,reported that Ukrainian drones attacked two cargo vessels in the Caspian Sea- Port Olya 2 and Begey—believed to be involved in military cargo shipments between Russia and Iran.
The attack resulted in an explosion aboard the ship, killing one crew member and injuring another, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, reported WANA. Tehran characterized the action as a violation of Article 2, Paragraph 4 of the United Nations Charter and an act of aggression that risks escalating and widening the scope of the ongoing conflict.
According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, “the attack on the merchant ship—which it noted was explicitly acknowledged by the head of the Ukrainian regime—reflects a continuation of Kyiv’s unprovoked and hostile posture toward the Islamic Republic.”