The story

Ukraine struck an Iranian cargo ship in the Caspian Sea last weekend, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said the strike targeted vessels used in military cargo shipments involving Iran. Iranian officials said the ship was a commercial vessel and that the attack killed a sailor and injured others. Iranian officials threatened retaliation in statements to the news media, while Ukraine's foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, told Iran it had no standing to pretend to be a victim given its military support for Russia.

Iran and Russia have had a close military relationship for decades. Russia has used long-range attack drones supplied by Tehran against Ukraine since months after its 2022 invasion. The United States has accused Iran of supplying Russia with short-range ballistic missiles, and Ukraine said Iran sent trainers to help the Russian military use drone systems, a claim Iran denied. After the U.S. and Israel began their war with Iran in late February, Iranian forces launched waves of drones at U.S. military targets in Gulf countries. Zelenskyy said in March that more than 200 Ukrainian military experts had been sent to the Middle East to help defend against the attacks.

President Trump met separately with Zelenskyy and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday. Both leaders were attending the funeral of Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died suddenly at 71 after returning from Ukraine. Zelenskyy said the meeting with Trump was good and that they discussed licenses for the production of Patriot missile interceptors. Trump announced earlier this month at a NATO meeting in Turkey that the U.S. would allow Ukraine to build its own Patriot missiles.