Iran says Ukraine assured vessel attack ‘unintentional,’ demands compensation

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday that his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha assured him an attack on an Iranian commercial vessel was "unintentional" and that Kyiv "seeks no escalation."

In a post on US social media platform X following a phone call with Sybiha, Araghchi said the Ukrainian foreign minister told him the reported attack on the Iranian vessel "was not deliberate."

"I was assured by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha that the attack on an Iranian ship was unintentional and Ukraine seeks no escalation," Araghchi wrote.

Araghchi said Iran likewise does not seek escalation but stressed that attacks against Iranian citizens or national interests are "unacceptable."

"There must be restitution for losses," he added.

The remarks came days after Tehran accused Ukraine of attacking an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, killing one sailor and injuring another.

Iran has condemned the attack as an act of aggression, summoned Ukraine's charge d'affaires in Tehran and demanded accountability from Kyiv.

Earlier Tuesday, Sybiha said Ukraine seeks to avoid "unnecessary escalation" with Iran and insisted that Ukrainian actions are directed solely at defending the country against Russia, not at targeting civilian vessels or people.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier that Ukrainian forces had struck vessels involved in military cargo shipments linked to Iran, but did not identify any specific vessel.