India, July 28 -- Two active wars intersected directly for the first time last Saturday, when a Ukrainian drone strike in the Caspian Sea drew Tehran into a diplomatic quarrel with Kyiv and turned the spotlight on a lake that has quietly become a key waterway for allies Russia and Iran.

Tehran said Ukraine's attack on an Iranian vessel killed one sailor and injured others. Kyiv said its long-range strikes had hit vessels used to move military cargo between Iran and Russia, as well as a Russian warship.

Tehran called the attack "hostile and criminal", summoned Ukraine's charge d'affaires, and warned of "unforeseen" consequences. Ukraine dismissed the threats as "unjustified and groundless".

Russia's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, backing T...