Ukraine dismisses Iranian threats as Caspian Sea strike directly links wars

Ukraine dismisses Iranian threats as Caspian Sea strike directly links warsImage caption, The Caspian Sea forms a strategically vital direct supply route between Russia and IranByPaul AdamsDiplomatic correspondent, Reporting fromKyivPublished8 minutes agoUkraine has dismissed Iranian threats of retaliation, following Kyiv's targeting of an Iranian cargo vessel in the Caspian Sea on Saturday.The incident marked the first direct link between the wars in Iran and Ukraine."Iran's threats are unjustified and groundless," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha posted on X this afternoon."The regime in Tehran is a direct accomplice to Russian aggression against Ukraine, fuelling Moscow's criminal war with weapons that have killed Ukrainians since 2022," he wrote, referring to the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday announced that Ukrainian forces had achieved "very good results" in long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea, including against vessels used to transport military cargo linked to Iran.The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said its drones had hit an oil platform in the northern Caspian Sea, along with a Russian missile boat and "cargo ships that are under international sanctions."Iran's ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, told Iran's state news agency that the "Anna" ship had been anchored about 5km (3 miles) from the mouth of the Volga River when it was targeted. Ukraine's ambassador to Israel, Yevgen Korniychuk, said the vessel had been carrying components for drones and missiles from Iran to Russia, not civilian cargo.Speaking to Israel's N12, he insisted that Ukraine and Israel were confronting the same "axis of evil" on different fronts. Iran and Russia have a close military relationship. Iran started supplying Russia with its domestically-manufactured Shahed drones in 2022, which Moscow has since modified and use...