Iran: Tehran slams Ukrain over Caspian sea attacks

Iran on Monday had scathing words for Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after he announced that Kyiv had struck vessels linked to Iran in the Caspian Sea.

According to Tehran, the strike killed a sailor. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson was among those to criticise Zelenskyy.

Esmail Baghaei, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, said, “the Ukrainian president’s behavior is reminiscent of the anarchists who, on the eve of the First World War, carried out theatrical yet highly dangerous acts whose consequences eventually engulfed all of Europe.''

''There is no guarantee that a dramatic gesture intended to attract attention and assert one’s position in the international arena, where that position is not particularly strong, will remain limited in scope. The consequences, both for Ukraine and for the entire region drawn into this conflict, could be unpredictable,” he insisted.

The spokesperson added that the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil shipping lane, remains shut, in spite of a lull in attacks between the U.S. and Iran.

"I emphasize that the situation in Strait of Hormuz hasn't changed at all. It's is still closed because of acts of aggression by the U.S. and the lack of security imposed by America on the region," Baghei said.

After almost two weeks of intensifying strikes, the U.S. has paused its attacks in Iran, while diplomatic endeavours are underway to prevent a return to full scale conflict.