As Ukraine uses long-range drones to strike Iranian cargo ships and warships in the Caspian Sea, projections are emerging that Ukraine and Iran could head toward a direct clash.
The Wall Street Journal reported on the 27th (local time) that the war in the Caspian Sea is intensifying as Ukraine attacks Iranian military supply vessels.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated via his X account on the 25th (local time), "Recently, through a long-range strike in the Caspian Sea, we hit vessels transporting Iranian-related military cargo and Russian warships."
The Iranian side also confirmed that one crew member was killed and another was injured in the Ukrainian attack.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that Tehran will by no means let the attack go unanswered, immediately foreshadowing retaliation, and summoned the Ukrainian charge d'affaires in Tehran to lodge a strong protest.
The Caspian Sea has served as a key rear supply route through which Russia and Iran, both facing Western sanctions, trade core military supplies and food.
Consequently, Ukraine's move to target the Caspian Sea—located more than 700 kilometers away from its borders—using long-range drones is interpreted as an intent to sever the lifeline connecting Russia and Iran.
This is because Russia has been supplied with Iranian-made Shahed drones since its invasion of Ukraine to attack major facilities.
Experts view this airstrike as a potential catalyst that could merge the two distinct fronts of the war in Ukraine and the Middle East conflict into one.
Hanna Notte, director of the Eurasia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in the U.S., evaluated that "from Ukraine's perspective, this attack will serve as an opportunity to tie the two wars even more closely together in Europe and the United States."
Some analyses suggest this is a political signal from Ukraine aimed at drawing support from the U.S. Trump administration, which maintains an anti-Iran stance.
In an interview with Britain's Sky News on the 27th (local time), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy argued that "Iran has already effectively attacked Ukraine by providing drone technology to Russia," while also expressing his intention to "manage the situation so that no additional fronts are opened."
Reported by Lee Hyeon-yeong | Video by Lee 의선 | Graphics by Lee Su-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
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