Ukraine war briefing: Iran accuses Kyiv of deadly attack on Iranian vessel in Caspian Sea

Iran's foreign ministry on Saturday condemned what it called a Ukrainian attack on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, saying it killed one sailor and injured another. Tehran called the apparent attack an act of aggression and said it would defend its national interests and security. Ukraine's diplomatic representative to Iran was summoned, Iranian state media reported.

Throughout the war in Ukraine, Kyiv has had to counter Iranian-designed drones deployed by Moscow. Kyiv has offered its drone interception expertise to countries in the Middle East that have been attacked by Iran.

Tehran described the attack on its vessel as an act of aggression and said it would defend its national interests and security, while accusing Kyiv of seeking to expand the war in Ukraine.

The Iranian denunciation coincided with comments by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Kyiv had noted Russia was passing on its satellite observations in the Middle East to Iran to enable it to direct strikes in the region.

Zelenskyy on Saturday said on X that Ukraine had 'achieved very strong results with long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea -- including vessels used in military cargo shipments involving Iran'.

Iran and Russia are two of the five countries that border the Caspian Sea and Russia maintains a powerful naval force there, making the inland body of water a platform for long-range power projection, and a vital strategic bridge to Iran.