Iran calls on Ukraine to compensate for drone attack on Iranian Ship

TEHRAN- Iran has called on Ukraine to compensate for all damages resulting from a drone strike on an Iranian merchant vessel in the Caspian Sea that killed one crew member and injured several others, describing the attack as a criminal act against a civilian ship.

Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali told Russia's RIA Novosti news agency on Wednesday that the July 11 attack on the Iranian-flagged Anna constituted a deliberate strike against a civilian vessel carrying commercial cargo.

Jalali described the incident as a 'terrorist and criminal act,' saying the ship was a privately owned commercial vessel transporting rolled steel when it was struck by a Ukrainian drone in the Caspian Sea.

He said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had discussed the incident in separate telephone conversations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the European Union's foreign policy chief.

According to Jalali, Ukraine's foreign minister also spoke with Araghchi, apologized for the incident, and provided explanations concerning the attack.

The Iranian ambassador said Ukrainian officials had accepted responsibility for the strike and pledged that similar attacks against Iranian vessels would not occur again.

Jalali also argued that European countries and the United States, as supporters of Ukraine, should share responsibility for the consequences of Kyiv's actions and ensure that Ukraine is held accountable.