Tehran, July 26: Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi called on the EU to take “decisive” action against Ukraine’s targeting of an Iranian commercial ship in the Caspian Sea.

He made the remarks on Saturday in a phone call with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, in which the two sides discussed the latest regional developments, according to a statement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

Araghchi condemned the Ukrainian attack, urging the EU, UN Security Council, and international community to hold its “perpetrators” and supporters to account, according to the statement.

The two sides also addressed developments in the Strait of Hormuz, stressing the need for diplomatic initiatives to manage regional tensions, it added, reports Xinhua news agency.

In a separate statement, the ministry said it summoned Ukraine’s charge d’affaires in Tehran on Saturday over the attack, formally delivering a note of protest condemning the “hostile and criminal” act.

Earlier in the day, the ministry said the Ukrainian attack had caused the vessel to explode, killing a sailor and wounding another.

The ministry said Iran has never intervened in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, adding the strike could further “spread the flames of the war and insecurity in a dangerous manner.”

Also on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country’s forces had hit a Russian warship and vessels used for transporting Iran-linked military cargo in the Caspian Sea.

Earlier, the ministry said in a statement that the attack, carried out by the Ukrainian government, violated the UN Charter and constituted an “act of aggression.”

Iran has never intervened in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the ministry said, adding the strike could further “spread the flames of the war and insecurity in a dangerous manner.”

It stressed Iran will not hesitate to defend its national interests and security, warning that Ukraine will be responsible for the consequences of its “adventurism.”

Washington, July 24: US forces launched another round of strikes against Iranian military targets on Thursday evening (local time), marking the 13th consecutive night of attacks, said the US Central Command.

The strikes began at 6:45 p.m. Eastern Time and were intended “to hold Iran accountable and diminish threats from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to commercial shipping,” the command said in a post on X.

US forces have redirected 12 commercial vessels and disabled one from entering or leaving Iranian ports or coastal areas since resuming a naval blockade against Iran earlier this month, the command said in another post on X.

“Since resuming the naval blockade against Iran nine days ago, CENTCOM has redirected 12 commercial vessels and disabled 1 to prevent ships from entering or leaving Iranian ports or coastal areas.”

Earlier on Thursday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that it had stopped three oil tankers from passing through the Strait of Hormuz, one of which caught fire after an explosion.

“Three oil tankers, provoked and tempted by the child-killing American army, were trying to pass through the mine-laid route south of the Strait of Hormuz, but after one of them exploded and caught fire, the other two quickly turned around and turned back,” the IRGC said in a statement quoted by Iranian state media.

It further warned that any ship “deceived” by the United States and intends to pass without Iran’s consent “will suffer the same fate.”

On Wednesday (Washington time), US forces launched strikes across Iran for the 12th consecutive night.

Iranian state media reported that US missiles struck locations near the cities of Ahvaz, Ramshir and Andimeshk in western Iran, a power station near the Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran, and killed two people in the town of Shalamcheh on the Iraqi border,

Earlier on Thursday, US President Donald Trump told US online media Axios that he is considering restarting major combat operations in Iran, including strikes that would be bigger than the Operation Epic Fury he launched on February 28.

London, July 23: A tanker caught fire off the coast of Saudi Arabia after being struck by an unknown projectile, leaving the crew fighting the blaze, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).

According to a UKMTO advisory, the attack occurred about 70 nautical miles (130 km) southwest of Al Shuqaiq, Saudi Arabia, in the southern Red Sea.

The UKMTO said there were no reported casualties or environmental impact, and an investigation was underway.

The attack was reported around the same time on Wednesday (local time) as Yemen’s Houthi group said it had carried out a military operation targeting two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea.

The group had announced a maritime ban on Saudi-linked vessels two days earlier, citing what it described as Saudi Arabia’s long-running blockade on areas under its control.

The latest attack underscores growing security concerns along the Red Sea shipping route leading to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, raising fears that disruptions already affecting the Strait of Hormuz could spread to another vital maritime chokepoint, reports Xinhua news agency.

Shipping analytics firm Kpler said on Wednesday that vessel traffic through both the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait fell sharply on Tuesday as security conditions deteriorated.

The firm also reported several confirmed vessel U-turns near the Gulf of Aden following Houthi threats against Saudi-linked shipping, suggesting that operators were becoming increasingly cautious.

Kpler warned that continued attacks around the two regional maritime chokepoints could reshape shipping routes, raise freight costs and keep geopolitical risk premiums in global energy markets elevated.