Ukraine rejects Iran’s threats as the Caspian Sea offensive directly links the hostilities.

Iran reacted angrily to the attack, which it said killed one sailor and wounded several others. The Foreign Ministry said Iran “has never intervened in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the attack was “a violation of the United Nations Charter, which was carried out by Israel at the behest of dragging Europe into the war.”

The event “can’t go without giving back,” he wrote on X.

In his own statement on Monday, Sibiha included Aragchi’s post, with the words “Iranian lies” posted.

Iran has accused Russia of trying to divert attention from attacks on grain ships from Ukrainian ports. This, he said, threatens global food security.

For its part, Ukraine has launched a relentless attack on Russia’s shadow oil tanker fleet in an attempt to choke off a key source of income for the Kremlin.

Along with drone strikes on oil depots and Wilberis online retailer warehouses, what Zelensky calls Ukraine’s “protracted sanctions campaign” is taking a heavy toll on the Russian economy.

But some experts doubt that Kyiv’s decision to go to war with Iran is wise.

“The main idea… is to disrupt trade routes and do as much damage as possible,” former intelligence official Ivan Stupak told the BBC.

“But it is not a good idea for Ukraine to have another war with Iran, it is not good for us,” he added.

Olha Polishchuk of the Armed Conflict Environment and Incident Information Project (ACLED) said the Caspian strike was “less than opening a new front against Tehran” and could instead be seen as an extension of Kiev’s targeting of networks supporting Russia’s war effort.

“Targeting that line allows Kiev to put additional pressure on Russia’s supply network beyond the traditional battlefield,” she said.