Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a telephone conversation with Kaja Kallas, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, to discuss pressing regional security concerns.
According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, citing the Fars news agency, a central topic of the discussion was the recent attack by Ukraine on an Iranian merchant vessel in the Caspian Sea.
During the conversation, Araghchi referenced statements from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy regarding the incident, dismissing Kyiv's claims that the attack was accidental as unacceptable. The Foreign Minister emphasized that the strike resulted in the loss of Iranian lives and caused significant damage to the commercial vessel, labeling such actions against Iranian citizens as intolerable.
Reports indicate that Araghchi had previously discussed the matter with his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha. While the Ukrainian side has maintained that the incident was unintentional, Tehran has rejected this explanation and is formally demanding full compensation for the damages incurred.
The incident, which occurred on July 25, involved an explosion on board the vessel. The attack resulted in the death of one crew member and left another with varying degrees of bodily injuries. The Caspian Sea, a critical waterway for regional trade, has increasingly become a focal point for diplomatic tensions as littoral states navigate the complexities of international maritime security.
