Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has issued a firm response to Iranian threats following accusations that a Ukrainian drone struck an Iranian merchant vessel on the Caspian Sea, killing one sailor and injuring another. In an interview with Sky News, Zelensky dismissed Tehran’s outrage, pointing to Iran’s long history of supplying weapons to Russia.
– We cannot trust these people because at the very beginning, without any escalation on our part, the Iranians provided (Russia – ed.) weapons – stated Volodymyr Zelensky in the interview with British station Sky News.
– Did Iran provide Russia with a new base and technology from the first year of the war? Did it not supply thousands of Shaheed-type drones and then grant licenses for their production? Did they attack us? I think so – said the Ukrainian president.
Zelensky’s accusations against Iran
Zelensky emphasized that both Iran and North Korea have been actively participating in the war for a long time. He reiterated that Iran’s support for Russia began without any provocation from Ukraine. The interview came after Tehran accused Kyiv of hitting one of its ships on Friday, leading to an explosion that killed one sailor and wounded another.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi called the incident an „act of aggression” and declared that Tehran would defend its national interests and security. On Saturday, Araqchi summoned the Ukrainian chargé d’affaires to protest the strike.
On the same day, Zelensky confirmed that Ukrainian forces had struck targets on the Caspian Sea, but insisted they were „units transporting military equipment from Iran and a warship.” Ukrainian intelligence services reported on Telegram that drone attacks targeted „ships under international sanctions that were used to transport military cargo between Iran and Russia.”
Iran’s threats and counter-accusations
During a phone conversation with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Araqchi stated that „this attack cannot remain without response.” On the social media platform X, he wrote: „Zelensky attacked an Iranian merchant ship, killing a sailor,” calling it a „flagrant violation of the UN Charter, done on Israel’s orders to drag Europe into its war.”
Reuters noted that the sharp Iranian reaction coincided with another statement by Zelensky. In a video released Saturday evening, the Ukrainian president said that Russia is helping Iran attack US military facilities in the Middle East and Gulf states, and that Moscow provides Tehran with satellite images for assessing strikes.
Źródło: Polsat News, Fot. Polsat News
