The week started with a bizarre incident in the Caspian Sea involving an Iranian commercial vessel and the Iranian military, an episode which threatened to expand the war by merging two conflict theatres.
Iran had accused Ukraine of attacking an Iranian commercial vessel by long-range drone in the Caspian Sea on Saturday, which resulted in an explosion that killed one sailor and injured another.
Soon after, Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires in Tehran to severely protest the "hostile and criminal" attack, IRNA reported.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has warned that the "blatant UN Charter violation" which was "done at Israel's behest" could serve to "drag Europe into its war." Araghchi also denounced and attacked Zelensky personally, calling him the "freeloader in Kyiv".
But on Tuesday, there was a rapid walk-back and climb-down of sorts regarding the whole murky incident.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi newly stated that Ukraine's foreign minister assured him that the Ukrainian drone attack on the Iranian commercial vessel was "unintentional".
via Mappr"Was assured by Ukrainian FM [Andrii Sybiha] that the attack on an Iranian ship was unintentional and Ukraine seeks no escalation," Araghchi wrote on X. "Iran does not seek escalation either, b
