Ukraine's ambassador to Israel asserted that an Iranian vessel attacked in the Caspian Sea was transporting drone and missile components to Russia, contradicting Iran's claim of it being a civilian ship carrying iron cargo. This incident has escalated tensions, with Iran threatening retaliation and Ukraine defending its actions by citing Iran's ongoing weapon supplies to Russia. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy expressed concern about Iran potentially opening a new front against Ukraine but stressed the necessity of preparedness, noting Iran's pre-existing role in arming Russia.

Ukraine's ambassador to Israel asserted that an Iranian vessel attacked in the Caspian Sea was transporting drone and missile components to Russia, contradicting Iran's claim of it being a civilian ship carrying iron cargo. This incident has escalated tensions, with Iran threatening retaliation and Ukraine defending its actions by citing Iran's ongoing weapon supplies to Russia. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy expressed concern about Iran potentially opening a new front against Ukraine but stressed the necessity of preparedness, noting Iran's pre-existing role in arming Russia.

Ukraine's ambassador to Israel asserted that an Iranian vessel attacked in the Caspian Sea was transporting drone and missile components to Russia, contradicting Iran's claim of it being a civilian ship carrying iron cargo. This incident has escalated tensions, with Iran threatening retaliation and Ukraine defending its actions by citing Iran's ongoing weapon supplies to Russia. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy expressed concern about Iran potentially opening a new front against Ukraine but stressed the necessity of preparedness, noting Iran's pre-existing role in arming Russia.

Amid fears that Iran could open a new front against Ukraine by attacking an Iranian commercial vessel, Kyiv’s ambassador to Israel has revealed the content of the military cargo which was being transferred from Iran to Russia before it was blown off.

While the Iranian Foreign Ministry claims that the ship attacked was a civilian merchant vessel, the Ukrainian Security Service, which carried out the attack, states that the target was a vessel carrying military cargo to Russia while circumventing international sanctions.

Hadi Haghshenas, governor general of Gilan Province, told Iranian media that the ship was carrying iron cargo. “Based on the information presented so far, this Iranian ship was in a foreign anchorage or outside the Volga River; that is, it was within Russian waters when it was attacked by a drone. The ship's command bridge was destroyed. The vessel was carrying iron cargo which had been loaded from the Russian port of Astrakhan and was supposed to be transported to the Anzali port in Iran,” Haghshenas added.

However, Yevgen Korynchuk, Ukraine's ambassador to Israel, told Hebrew media N12 that the vessel was indeed carrying military cargo.

“The ship we attacked contained components for drones and missiles that were on their way to Russia - and not civilian goods as Iran claimed. This is not the first time we have hit such military targets, and of course we can expect to hit them again - this is a legitimate military target from our perspective," Korynchuk added, stating that Ukraine and Israel "are fighting the same enemy, different sides of the same axis of evil”.

The attack has stoked fears that Iran could open another front in Iran. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said a deadly Ukrainian attack on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea “cannot go unanswered”, calling it a violation of the United Nations Charter.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy defended his forces action, stating that Iran has already attacked Ukraine by supplying weapons to Russia.

Expressing concern about any Iranian attack on Ukraine, he added,  "We must be cautious and do everything we can to prevent a new front from opening in the war, but we must be realistic. I hope Iran does not increase its attacks, but we must be prepared for any eventuality."

The Ukrainian President also emphasised that from the very beginning of the war, without any action from Kyiv, Iran has been providing weapons to Russia, and for this reason, Tehran cannot be trusted.

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