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Are Iran and Ukraine wars getting tangled in Caspian Sea?
Tehran has threatened a response after a Ukrainian strike on an Iranian cargo ship in the Caspian Sea that Kyiv says was carrying weapons to Russia. Still, Ukraine says it wants to avoid escalation with Tehran.
https://p.dw.com/p/5I1s8 Advertisement A recent Ukrainian strike on an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea has drawn concerns that Russia's war in Ukraine and the war in Iran are becoming entangled.
Ukraine has said the ship was carrying military equipment from Iran to Russia. Iranian state media, citing Iran's ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, reported that the cargo vessel "Anna" was anchored approximately 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the entrance of the Volga River when it was attacked by drones causing an explosion. One sailor was reported killed.
Iran summoned Ukraine's charge d'affaires and described the incident as an act of aggression.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, said Ukrainian forces had carried out successful long-range strikes against a Russian warship and vessels that Kyiv says were transporting military cargo.
Ukraine has long accused Iran of helping Russia wage war through the supply and development of Iranian-designed drones.
Tehran has acknowledged earlier drone sales to Moscow but has rejected accusations that it supplied weapons specifically for use in the Ukraine war.
However, the Ukrainian military has extensive documented physical evidence that Iranian-designed Shahed drones have been deployed throughout the war that has dragged on for more than four years.
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In March 2026, Russia launched nearly 950 Shahed, Gerber and other types of attack drones at Ukraine in a 24-hour period, according to Ukraine's Air Force.
Iran's Foreign Ministry has accused Ukraine of attempting to expand the geographical scope of its war with Russia. Kyiv, by contrast, presents its attacks in the Caspian Sea as part of an effort to disrupt military logistics supporting Moscow.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a statement the attack "cannot go unanswered."
However, Ahmad Vakhshiteh, director of the Moscow-based Center for Strategic Research on Developing Relations with the Middle East, told DW that Tehran is unlikely to respond immediately with a direct military strike against Ukraine.
"I believe the Islamic Republic will avoid an emotional reaction and choose a diplomatic response instead of a military one," he said, pointing to Tehran's summoning of the Ukrainian diplomat and the possibility of raising the matter at the UN Security Council.
On Monday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha posted on X that Iran's accusations were "unjustified and groundless."
"The regime in Tehran is a direct accomplice to Russian aggression against Ukraine, fueling Moscow's criminal war with weapons that have killed Ukrainians since 2022," he wrote.
A day later, in a call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Sybiha softened his tone and said that Ukraine wants to avoid unnecessary escalation with Iran.
Ukrainian Middle East expert Ihor Semyvolos considers the likelihood of an Iranian retaliatory attack on Ukraine to be very low.
"Attacks on ships or ports in the Caspian Sea are one thing, since this is related to Russia," which attacked Ukraine.
"However, an Iranian missile attack on Ukrainian territory is an entirely different matter. That would be a direct act of war," said Semyvolos, adding that such an attack "would only complicate the situation for Iran."
Austrian military expert Markus Reisner told DW that an Iranian missile attack on Ukraine is unlikely, even though Tehran possesses medium-range missiles.
Reisner said it would make little sense for Iran to actually launch a missile at a target on Ukrainian territory when there could be more important or higher-value targets elsewhere.
Reisner, currently head of research at Austria's Theresian Military Academy, added that the attack in the Caspian Sea does not indicate that Ukraine is now a participant in the Iran war.
Reisner points out that the Ukrainian military has been increasing attacks on maritime facilities , particularly in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, since May. Around 200 Russian ships, tankers and tugboats have already been hit.
Ukraine's goal is not "to open a new front against Iran, but rather to disrupt supply routes between Iran and Russia in the Caspian Sea as well," said Reisner.
Moscow-based analyst Vakhshiteh said, however, that the attack "can be seen as a signal and an indication that the geography of the Ukrainian war is expanding from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea."
Ukrainian Middle East expert Ihor Semyvolos agrees. He finds it logical that Ukraine would expand its strategy to control sea lanes for arms deliveries and attempt to impose a general economic naval blockade against Russia in the south.
There is no direct evidence that the operation in the Caspian Sea was coordinated with the US, and the issue has not been publicly discussed, Semyvolos said.
"But it's obvious that Ukraine uses American intelligence data. Therefore, the Americans were most likely aware of it," Semyvolos believes.
Austrian military analyst Reisner emphasizes that the timing of Ukraine's attack plays a crucial role.
"Zelenskyy wants to clearly demonstrate here that Kyiv and Washington share a common enemy in Iran," Reisner said.
The Ukrainian attack could also be seen as a demonstration from Kyiv that it is actually a better ally in fighting Iran than some NATO countries, he added.
Zelenskyy met with US President Donald Trump in Washington this week, as ties between Kyiv and the Trump administration have turned positive along with Ukraine's advances on the battlefield.
As Ukrainian Foreign Minister Sybiha's statement on X indicates, Kyiv increasingly sees Iran and Russia as part of the same mili...
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