‘Can’t go unanswered’: Iran warns of retaliation after Ukraine’s attack on ship in Caspian Sea kills one

Tehran on Sunday threatened to Ukraine after an Iranian vessel was alleged targeted by Kyiv in the Caspian Sea, with Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Aragchi describing the attack as a violation of the UN Charter.

He further said that during calls with the European Union’s Kaja Kallas and Russian top diplomat Sergei Lavrov, he “made clear that what the freeloader in Kyiv did CANNOT GO UNANSWERED”.

“Zelenskyy has attacked an Iranian commercial vessel, killing a sailor. A blatant UN Charter violation done at Israel’s behest to drag Europe into its war,” he said in an X (previously Twitter) post.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that the country’s military targeted “vessels used in military cargo shipments involving Iran, as well as a warship”. He said the Ukrainian forces achieved “very strong results” with long‑range strikes.

These strikes, according to Iran’s foreign ministry, led to the death of one sailor and left several others injured.

Peace in Middle East? Iran halts strikes on US

Coming to another development, Iran and the United States (US) have halted strikes against each other after Washington’s envoy to the United Nations (UN), Mike Waltz, said that President Donald Trump was “giving talks some space”. Before Friday, the US conducted strikes on Iran for 13 straight days, escalating situation in the Middle East once again.

“These attacks continued until two nights ago, but over the past two nights the Americans have stopped their attacks,” said Iran’s army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia. “Since… our strategy has essentially been retaliatory, we have also halted our retaliatory operations.”

Fighting over the strategic Strait of Hormuz derailed diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran, but the conflict then expanded beyond the vital energy corridor to include attacks on US bases, regional shipping and Gulf allies. Unconfirmed Iranian media reports on Sunday said an oil tanker had been damaged by a sea mine.

The recent lull has revived hopes of a return to negotiations, although American media reported the pause could also reflect pressure on US stockpiles of Patriot interceptors and other defensive weapons.

(With inputs from AFP)

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