Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister Yevgeny Yenin told the independent Hromadske radio station that a Ukrainian plane had been "hijacked" in Kabul and flown to Iran "with a group of unknown passengers on board, instead of evacuating Ukrainians." But his comments were then denied by the foreign ministry.

The MarineTraffic website, which categorises the vessel as an asphalt and bitumen tanker, said it was travelling to Sohar, a port on Oman's northern coast.