Araghchi tells Lavrov and Kallas the attack on an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea cannot go unanswered

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned Ukraine's strike on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea in separate phone calls on Sunday 26 July 2026 (4 Mordad 1405) with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, saying the act cannot go unanswered. He called the attack a clear violation of the UN Charter.

According to CNBC, the explosion aboard the vessel took place on Saturday 25 July (3 Mordad), killing one sailor and injuring another. Araghchi said the strike was carried out at Israel's behest with the aim of dragging Europe into the war. Kyiv has not issued a public response to the accusation so far.

The Caspian Sea is one of Iran's trade routes on the North-South corridor and for exchanges with Russia, and insecurity there can raise freight and insurance costs for cargoes moving on that route.