Iran Orders Ukraine to Compensate for Merchant Ship Attack as War Escalates

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Alaghezi said Ukraine must pay compensation after a Ukrainian strike on an Iranian merchant vessel killed one crew member and injured another. He told Ukraine’s interim foreign minister Serhiy Serbin that any attack on Iranian citizens or interests is unacceptable and must be reimbursed.

At the same time, Russian officials have formally re‑characterised the conflict in Ukraine as a "full war" rather than a "special military operation". Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov declared the war a matter of national survival, while Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated that Russia seeks a diplomatic resolution but will not tolerate further Western‑backed aggression. Russian scholars such as Alexander Dugin echoed the view that the war has become a total confrontation with the West.