Ukraine and Iran sought to ease tensions Tuesday after Kyiv said it did not intend to target an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, while Tehran demanded compensation for losses following an attack that killed one Iranian sailor.
The diplomatic outreach came days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv had carried out long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea against vessels carrying military cargo linked to Iran.
Following a phone call with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he had been assured that the reported strike on the Iranian vessel was unintentional.
"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 on X.
He said Iran also does not seek escalation but stressed that attacks on Iranian citizens or national interests are "unacceptable."
"There must be restitution for losses," Araghchi added.
The remarks came after Tehran accused Ukraine of attacking an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, killing one sailor and wounding another. Iran condemned the incident as an act of aggression, summoned Ukraine's charge d'affaires in Tehran and demanded accountability from Kyiv.
Sybiha described his conversation with Araghchi as "frank," saying diplomacy remains essential despite strained relations.
"Diplomacy is about direct conversation, even when it's difficult. I stressed that our goal is to avoid unnecessary escalation," he wrote on X.
The Ukrainian foreign minister reiterated that Kyiv's military operations are aimed solely at defending Ukraine against Russia.
"All of Ukraine's actions are aimed solely at defending our country from Russian aggression and never intended to target civilian vessels or people," Sybiha said.
Addressing Iran's claims regarding the death of one of its citizens, Sybiha blamed Moscow for the incident.
"Russia is the root cause of all incidents, and it is Russia who bears full responsibility for all provocations and casualties," he said.
He also urged Tehran to refrain from escalating the situation and to end its support for Russia's war against Ukraine.
"I emphasised the necessity to refrain from any escalatory steps, as well as to end any support for Russia's war against Ukraine," he added.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi confirmed the conversation marked the first official contact between Sybiha, who took office in September 2024, and Araghchi.
Relations between Kyiv and Tehran have remained strained since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Iran supplied Russia with Shahed drone technology early in the war, according to Ukrainian officials.
Kyiv has also said it provided counter-drone assistance to Gulf countries targeted during Iranian retaliatory attacks following Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran earlier this year.
