Iran warns of consequences after Ukraine attack on Caspian Sea ship

Ukraine's attack on Iranian shipping shows the widening consequences of the wars in Ukraine and the Gulf.

Iran's foreign ministry warned on Monday of "unforeseen" consequences following Ukraine's attack on an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea over the weekend.

"This action by Ukraine was an absolutely illegal and unjustified act, contrary to the Charter of the United Nations, as well as a dangerous act of adventurism that will certainly not go unanswered by us," the ministry's spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in a weekly press briefing.

The consequences of Ukraine's action "will certainly be unforeseen", he added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that Kyiv had carried out long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea against vessels transporting military cargo involving Iran.

Iran said the attack had caused the Iranian ship "to explode, killing one sailor and injuring several others", and warned that it would respond.

"The Ukrainian regime must certainly be held accountable for it," Baqaei said. 

Kyiv has in the past accused Iran of helping Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. More recently, it also claimed that Moscow has been helping Iran target US facilities in the Iran war.

Over the past weeks Russia also intensified its attacks on Ukrainian shipping. 

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