Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali said they expected compensation from the Ukrainian government over an attack on an Iranian-flagged commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea. Jalali said one person was killed and several others were injured in the incident.
Jalali said the vessel was a civilian commercial ship carrying cargo and argued that the attack was deliberate. He said the Ukrainian foreign minister had contacted Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, issued an explanation and apologized. Jalali claimed that Kyiv had accepted responsibility and assured Iran that a similar incident would not happen again.
Contact with Kyiv continues over compensation
Jalali said compensation talks between Tehran and Kyiv were continuing and that they hoped the negotiations would produce results. He said Iran was currently focused not on a possible military response against Ukraine, but on securing compensation for the damage to the vessel and for those affected by the incident.
The Iranian ambassador also argued that Kyiv should assume responsibility for its actions because of the support European countries and the United States have provided to Ukraine. Jalali further claimed that civilians had been killed in attacks on economic facilities in the Republic of Tatarstan, and criticized Western countries for what he called a political and selective approach to these incidents.
No date set for Lavrov’s visit to Iran
Jalali said no decision had yet been made on the date of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s planned visit to Iran, adding that consultations between senior officials from the two countries were on the agenda. He said the date of the visit would be announced at an appropriate time.
Jalali said they viewed Russia’s offer to mediate dialogue between Iran and Arab countries positively, describing Moscow as a true friend during difficult times. He said Tehran was ready to cooperate with any role Russia could play in developing Iran’s relations with its neighbors.
Tehran keeps diplomacy option open with Washington
Addressing the possibility of diplomatic contacts with the United States, Jalali said the window for diplomacy would never close completely. He said Iran would remain ready for negotiations and dialogue while also strengthening its military preparedness, arguing that the two positions were not contradictory.
Jalali claimed that the deployment of U.S. ships far from Iran’s shores indicated that Washington might have received the message previously conveyed to it. Reiterating Iran’s earlier statement that it had damaged the U.S. aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, the ambassador also acknowledged that some reports about the condition of American military personnel and equipment had not been confirmed by the Pentagon or U.S. officials.
Railway and energy projects with Russia
Jalali said Iran and Russia were holding talks on various infrastructure and economic projects, identifying the Rasht–Astara railway as a priority. He announced that the two sides had reached an agreement on the implementation contract for the project, which falls under the North–South Transport Corridor, and that the signing process was being planned.
Jalali said substantive talks were being held on energy cooperation, including the delivery of Russian gas to Iran and the construction of the necessary infrastructure. He added that work at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant was continuing. The Iranian ambassador said cooperation between the two countries was not limited to the political sphere.
Concern over nuclear facilities
Jalali also commented on reports that the United States was considering a plan to seize Iran’s stocks of enriched uranium held at the country’s nuclear facilities. The ambassador argued that the United States and Israel had attacked facilities covered by international safeguards, and said the actions of nuclear-armed states against a country without nuclear weapons were a source of concern.
Jalali claimed that the International Atomic Energy Agency had not directly condemned the development, and said Iran and the international community were concerned about the weakening of the international nuclear nonproliferation regime.
Accusations over school attack in Iran
The Iranian ambassador to Russia said the United States had denied responsibility for an attack on a school in Iran in July and had stated that children were not targeted. Jalali criticized Washington’s rejection of these claims, arguing that fragments belonging to Tomahawk missiles had been found at the scene and that various pieces of evidence showed the target was an active girls’ primary school.
Jalali said the tragedy experienced by the girls who were killed in the attack and their families would not be forgotten. He argued that those responsible, as well as those who encouraged the attack, should be brought to justice.
