Iran says it does not seek escalation with Ukraine after ship attack

TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arakchi said his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sybiha told him during a phone call that the strike on an Iranian-flagged cargo ship was unintentional and that Kyiv did not want to escalate tensions. In a post on X, Arakchi said Iran also did not seek escalation, but stressed that any attack on its citizens or interests would be unacceptable. Arakchi added that the damage caused by the incident must be compensated. The Iranian Foreign Ministry had announced on July 25 that Ukraine attacked an Iranian cargo ship in the Caspian Sea, killing one crew member. Diplomatic contacts between the two sides have continued since the incident, with Iran formally pressing for compensation for its losses. No further details on the talks were immediately available.