Iran demands restitution from Ukraine over Caspian Sea ship strike

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called on Ukraine to pay financial restitution following a Ukrainian strike that damaged an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea, while signalling that Tehran is not seeking a broader military escalation with Kyiv.

The demands follow a high-stakes telephone conversation between Araghchi and his Ukrainian counterpart, Andriy Sybiha, intended to defuse mounting geopolitical tensions over the maritime strike.

Addressing the dialogue publicly on social media platform X, Araghchi noted that Ukrainian officials had categorised the incident as unintentional regarding non-military assets.

"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," Araghchi posted. 

The incident occurred during long-range Ukrainian military operations targeted at Russian defence logistics and transit corridors across the Caspian Sea region. Ukrainian authorities maintained that their actions in the theatre are exclusively defensive and intended to disrupt supply routes supporting military aggression.

In his own statement regarding the exchange, Foreign Minister Sybiha reiterated that Kyiv’s operations remain focused entirely on self-defence, asserting that Ukraine "never intended to target civilian vessels or people" and holding Moscow accountable for creating the broader security crisis in the region.

By Tamilla Hasanova