Heads of Ukrainian, Iranian foreign ministries hold phone call after vessel attack

Kyiv, July 29 : Ukraine's acting Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that he called Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi by phone.

In a post on X, Sybiha wrote that during the "frank conversation" he stressed that Ukraine's goal is "to avoid unnecessary escalation."

Iran accused Ukraine of attacking an Iranian commercial ship in the Caspian Sea on Saturday, leading to the vessel's explosion and a sailor's death, Xinhua news agency reported.

Sybiha said he had reiterated that all of Ukraine's actions were "aimed solely at defending our country" and "never intended to target civilian vessels or people."

"This is also true with regard to Iran's statements about their national who died and a civilian vessel that was targeted in a recent incident," he noted.

"I emphasised the necessity to refrain from any escalatory steps," he added.

Araghchi said on Tuesday that his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, has assured him that Ukraine's Saturday attack on an Iranian commercial ship was "unintentional" and that Ukraine "does not seek escalation."

In a post on social media platform X following a phone call earlier in the day with Sybiha, Araghchi said that "Iran does not seek escalation either, but made clear any attack on our citizens or interests is unacceptable. There must be restitution for losses."

In a post on X earlier in the day, Sybiha confirmed the call, calling it "a frank conversation." He noted that, "Diplomacy is about direct conversation, even when it's difficult" and stressed that "our goal is to avoid unnecessary escalation."

He also emphasised "the necessity to refrain from any escalatory steps."

The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the attack in a statement on Saturday, saying that it led to the vessel's explosion and a sailor's death.

The semi-official Mehr news agency on Sunday reported that three sailors were also injured in the attack.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that his country's forces had hit a Russian warship and vessels used for transporting Iran-linked military cargo in the Caspian Sea.