Iran has demanded compensation from Ukraine over a strike on a vessel in the Caspian Sea that killed a sailor, while Kyiv defended the operation as part of its fight against Russia’s war machine and urged Tehran to stop supporting Moscow. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said after a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha on Tuesday, July 28, that Tehran does not seek escalation but considers attacks on its citizens or interests “unacceptable.”JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “There must be restitution for the losses,” Araghchi said in a post on X, adding that Sybiha had assured him the strike on the Iranian vessel was unintentional and that Ukraine did not seek to escalate tensions.
Was assured by Ukrainian FM @andrii_sybiha that the attack on an Iranian ship was unintentional and Ukraine seeks no escalation. Iran does not seek escalation either, but made clear any attack on our citizens or interests is unacceptable. There must be restitution for losses.— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) July 28, 2026
Sybiha described the call as a “frank conversation” and said diplomacy requires direct engagement “even when it’s difficult.” It was the first official contact between the two ministers since Sybiha became Ukraine’s foreign minister in September 2024. Sybiha told Araghchi that Ukraine’s actions were aimed solely at defending the country from Russia’s aggression and that Kyiv had never intended to target civilians or civilian vessels. Addressing Iran’s accusations over the sailor’s death and the damaged vessel, Sybiha said Russia was “the root cause of all incidents” and bears “full responsibility for all provocations and casualties.”
