Iran says Ukrainian attack on vessel in Caspian Sea killed sailor

He said that on July 19 and 20 alone, Russian satellite observation had included four air bases: two in Bahrain, one in Jordan and one in Kuwait.

Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said it has "established complete authority over the Strait of Hormuz." In a post early Sunday on the Telegram social media platform, it said it forced six ships to anchor following warnings over the last 24 hours.

What we know

It also described the incident as a violation of Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter and warned it could further expand the Russia-Ukraine war. Zelenskyy said Russian satellites monitored four airbases on July 19 and 20 – two in Bahrain and one each in Jordan and Kuwait – and announced that Ukraine would share the intelligence with its international partners.

Axios has reported that Qatar, Egypt, Pakistan and other regional mediators have presented Washington and Tehran with a proposal for a 10-day pause in fighting to allow negotiations over a memorandum of understanding (MoU) agreed last month to resume. The country's foreign ministry complained to Ukraine's chargé d'affaires in Tehran early on Sunday and "conveyed Iran's strong protest over the 'hostile and criminal act.'" Iran's Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

"As of July 25, CENTCOM has redirected 12 commercial vessels trying to run the blockade, disabled 2 that didn't comply, and boarded 2 to ensure total compliance," it said in a post on X late Saturday.

The details

Relations between Tehran and Kyiv have deteriorated sharply since 2022, when Iran began supplying Russia with Shahed drones. According to it, Ukrainian forces have shot down more than 44,000 Iranian-designed drones since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022. Axios also reported that US President Donald Trump was presented with plans for what would have been a 14th consecutive night of air attacks on Iran, but instead opted to give renewed diplomatic efforts more time. The fighting in the Red Sea and Caspian Sea took place during a pause in U.S. strikes on Iran after 13 straight nights of attacks.

Reactions

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 Foreign Ministry summoned Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires in Tehran to convey its protest over what it described as a “hostile and criminal” attack, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported. Zelenskyy had earlier said that Ukraine’s forces struck a Russian warship and vessels used for transporting Iranian-linked military cargo in the Caspian Sea.

What to watch

The ministry said the attack, which it claimed had been acknowledged by Ukraine’s leadership, reflected Kyiv’s continued “irrational and hostile approach” towards Iran and warned that Tehran would defend its national interests. However, Michael Mulroy, a former US deputy assistant secretary of defence for the Middle East, told Al Jazeera that while Iran continues to control the Strait of Hormuz, Washington’s options are becoming increasingly limited and would face difficult choices if the standoff with Iran continued.