On July 26, at the initiative of the Iranian side, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a telephone conversation with Abbas Araghchi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This was reported by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

“The Russian minister expressed his sincere condolences over the death of an Iranian sailor as a result of the July 25 attack by Ukrainian drones on the Iranian-owned dry cargo ship Ana, which had departed from Astrakhan carrying a civilian cargo.

Lavrov asked that words of support be conveyed to the family and loved ones of the deceased and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

Araghchi thanked the Astrakhan authorities for assisting the crew of the attacked vessel and stressed the need to stop such adventurist actions by the Kyiv regime.

The head of the Iranian foreign ministry informed Lavrov about ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalating tensions in the Middle East that arose as a result of the U.S. attack on the Islamic Republic,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.