Key facts
- Ukraine claims to have struck vessels in the Caspian Sea carrying Russian military cargo destined for Iran.
- Iran confirmed one targeted vessel was an Iranian commercial ship, reporting one fatality and several injuries.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky alleged Russia is providing Iran with satellite intelligence for attacks on US sites in the Middle East.
- Zelensky stated Russian satellites monitored four air bases in the Gulf states, Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait.
- US President Donald Trump asserted Russia and China denied supplying weapons to Iran.
- Iran's Foreign Minister condemned the attack and requested a response from the UN Security Council and the EU.
Ukraine announced it has targeted vessels in the Caspian Sea that it claims were used to transport military cargo between Iran and Russia. Iran confirmed one of the targeted vessels was an Iranian commercial ship, stating one sailor was killed and several others were injured.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky further alleged that Russia is providing Iran with satellite data to target US military facilities in the Middle East. Zelensky claimed that Russian satellites have been actively monitoring the Gulf states and US military sites, handing over obtained images to Iran, and noted a correlation between these images and subsequent Iranian attacks.
In response to the Caspian Sea incident, Iran summoned Ukraine's acting chargé d'affaires to lodge an official protest, emphasizing its right to defend its security and national interests. Some Iranian social media users and former lawmaker Nezameddin Mousavi called for a strong retaliatory response, with Mousavi suggesting action in the Black Sea and reconsideration of Iran's ballistic missile range limits.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump stated that both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping assured him that their countries would not supply weapons to Iran. Trump warned that any such move would be detrimental to Russia and China. These remarks contrast with Zelensky's allegations of Russian support for Iran.