Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that a deadly Ukrainian strike on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea “cannot go unanswered,” describing the incident as a violation of the United Nations Charter.

In a post on social media, Araghchi accused Israel of encouraging the attack in an effort to draw European countries deeper into the regional conflict.

The Iranian foreign minister said he conveyed Tehran’s position during separate phone conversations with European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

According to Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the attack occurred on Saturday when an Iranian commercial vessel was struck in the Caspian Sea, causing an explosion that killed one sailor and injured several others.

Ukraine, however, said its forces had targeted a Russian warship along with vessels allegedly being used to transport Iranian-linked military cargo.

Iran rejected that claim, insisting it has not taken part in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has never intervened in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Meanwhile, senior Iranian officials warned that the attack could have consequences.

Ebrahim Azizi, who heads the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said Ukraine could face retaliation for the strike.

In a post on X early Monday, Azizi said, “Any attack on Iran always comes with a cost, and that remains true today; the U.S. and Israel are well aware of this.”

He added that Ukraine “may soon come to understand that Iran does not let actions go unanswered,” describing the strike as a “miscalculated” move.

The incident further heightens tensions involving Iran as conflicts across the Middle East and Eastern Europe continue to intersect, raising concerns about the potential for broader regional and international escalation.