Last weekend, Ukraine announced that drones attacked 2 Russian military cargo ships in the Caspian Sea. Kiev affirmed that both ships left Iran for a Russian port.
These allegations reflect the increasing importance of the Caspian Sea - home to 5 coastal countries, including Iran and Russia.
On July 28, the Foreign Ministers of Ukraine and Iran had a phone conversation, in which Kiev affirmed that it wanted to avoid escalation after Ukraine attacked an Iranian ship in the Caspian Sea, AFP reported.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga wrote on her X account about the "frank exchange" with her Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi.
Diplomacy is about direct dialogue, even when it is difficult. I emphasize that our goal is to avoid unnecessary escalation," he noted.
Earlier, on July 27, Iran warned of "unpredictable consequences" after last week's attack that killed 1 sailor and injured several others.
Mr. Sybiga said he emphasized to Mr. Araghchi that all actions of Ukraine are only aimed at protecting the country in the context of conflict and "never intend to target civilian or civilian ships".
The top Ukrainian diplomat "emphasized the need to restrain every step of escalation" in a phone call with his Iranian counterpart.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhy confirmed that this is the first official contact between Mr. Sybiga, who took office in September 2024, and Mr. Araghchi.
Previously, on July 25, the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the interim ambassador of Ukraine to Tehran to protest Ukraine's attack.
On the same day, in a phone call with EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Kaja Kallas, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi condemned Ukraine's attack, calling on the EU, the United Nations Security Council and the international community to hold responsible the parties that caused and supported the incident.
Iran, Russia's main ally in the Middle East, provides Shahed drone technology to Russia. Meanwhile, Kiev has supported drone counter-attack efforts for Gulf countries attacked by Iran after the conflict in the Middle East broke out at the end of February.
With Iran's ports in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman being blockaded, the Caspian Sea is considered an important trade route. For Russia, the Caspian Sea is an important route to Central Asia and Iran.
In addition, the attacks by Ukrainian drones on ships and energy infrastructure in the Caspian Sea last weekend are proof of the country's increasing long-range attack capabilities.
As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky affirmed on social media on July 25 that the country's armed forces have achieved "very strong results with long-range attacks in the Caspian Sea".
Previously, Ukraine attacked the weapons corridor in the Caspian Sea. In February, Ukrainian long-range drones attacked 1 Russian warship and 2 cargo ships Port Olya 2 and Begey used to transport military goods from Iran to Russia. A few months earlier, Ukraine attacked the Russian port of Olya, damaging 1 ship carrying Iranian drone parts and ammunition.
