A great increase in tensions between Iran and Azerbaijan occurred, after the Azerbaijani government reported a drone attack that hit the Nakhchivan region, a an enclave of Azerbaijan located between Iran, Armenia and Turkey. The incident left four civilians injured and damaged key infrastructure, including the terminal building of Nakhchivan International Airport
.
According to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense, four drones from Iranian territory crossed the border and entered Nakhchivan airspace. One of the devices directly hit the airport terminal, causing damage to the roof of the building and generating a column of smoke visible in recordings broadcast on social networks.
Another drone fell near a school in a nearby village, while a third was shot down by the Azerbaijani army and the fourth hit civilian infrastructure. Health authorities in the enclave reported that four people were injured and were taken to hospitals, where they remain
in stable condition.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev called the incident an act of “terror and unprovoked aggression” against his country during a meeting of the National Security Council. Aliyev stated that the armed forces had been instructed to prepare and execute retaliatory measures. He also demanded that Iran provide an official explanation, issue an apology and bring to justice those responsible for the
attack. The president of Azerbaijan assures that he has given orders to his troops to prepare retaliatory measures
For its part, Tehran denied any involvement in the events. The Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, assured that Iran had not attacked Azerbaijan or any neighboring country. In statements released by Iranian media, he argued that the Islamic Republic does not target
its neighbors.
The Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Jeyhun Bayramov, conveyed his government's protest during a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Aragchi, pointing out that the incident constitutes a violation of international law and contributes to increasing regional tension. Aragchi reiterated Iran's refusal and stated that his country will investigate
what happened.
Following the attack, Azerbaijan took immediate security measures. The authorities closed airspace in the south of the country for twelve hours and temporarily suspended the passage of cargo trucks at border crossings
with Iran. Iran's foreign minister has denied any involvement of Tehran in the incident.
The measure affects one of the shortest land routes connecting Iran to Russia. In addition, it occurs in a context in which more than 1,100 people have crossed from Iran to Azerbaijan through the Astara border crossing in the Caspian Sea, in the midst of increasing instability in the region
.
The incident comes as regional conflict intensifies following US and Israeli air strikes against Iran. Although Azerbaijan has officially maintained a neutral stance, its growing military and economic ties with Israel and Turkey have generated friction with Tehran. At the same time, the country has gradually distanced itself from Russia, the traditional dominant actor in the Caucasus
.
The situation also poses risks for the international energy market. Azerbaijan is a major oil and gas producer that exports a large part of its production to Europe and Turkey through the Baku—Tbilisi—Ceyhan pipeline. Any threat to this infrastructure could have an impact on global energy prices. The pipeline also transports crude oil, which represents between 30% and 40% of Israel's oil imports
.
Neighboring countries such as Armenia and Georgia have declared their neutrality in the regional conflict and fear that an escalation will cause new interruptions in air transport between Europe and Asia, as well as possible refugee flows if the crisis in Iran intensifies. In this context, the drone attack and threats of retaliation from Azerbaijan increase the risk that the war in the Middle East will spread to
new regions. Iran is also attacking key oil infrastructure for the region's energy trade.
