Iran’s FM urges EU to take ‘decisive’ action against Ukraine’s attack on Iranian ship

Tehran: Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi called on the EU to take “decisive” action against Ukraine’s targeting of an Iranian commercial ship in the Caspian Sea.

He made the remarks on Saturday in a phone call with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, in which the two sides discussed the latest regional developments, according to a statement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

Araghchi condemned the Ukrainian attack, urging the EU, UN Security Council, and international community to hold its “perpetrators” and supporters to account, according to the statement.

The two sides also addressed developments in the Strait of Hormuz, stressing the need for diplomatic initiatives to manage regional tensions, it added, reports Xinhua news agency.

In a separate statement, the ministry said it summoned Ukraine’s charge d’affaires in Tehran on Saturday over the attack, formally delivering a note of protest condemning the “hostile and criminal” act.

Earlier in the day, the ministry said the Ukrainian attack had caused the vessel to explode, killing a sailor and wounding another.

The ministry said Iran has never intervened in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, adding the strike could further “spread the flames of the war and insecurity in a dangerous manner.”

Also on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country’s forces had hit a Russian warship and vessels used for transporting Iran-linked military cargo in the Caspian Sea.

Earlier, the ministry said in a statement that the attack, carried out by the Ukrainian government, violated the UN Charter and constituted an “act of aggression.”

Iran has never intervened in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the ministry said, adding the strike could further “spread the flames of the war and insecurity in a dangerous manner.”

It stressed Iran will not hesitate to defend its national interests and security, warning that Ukraine will be responsible for the consequences of its “adventurism.”

IANS