NEWS DESK (MNN); Azerbaijan on Thursday warned of retaliatory measures after accusing Iran of launching drone attacks that crossed into its territory and injured four people in the Nakhchivan exclave.
Authorities in Azerbaijan said four drones entered its airspace, prompting the country to partially close its southern airspace for 12 hours, according to a notice to airmen.
Officials said one drone struck the terminal building of Nakhchivan International Airport, located about 10 kilometres from the Iranian border, while another landed near a school in a nearby village. Azerbaijani forces reportedly shot down one drone, while another damaged civilian infrastructure.
The injured individuals were taken to hospital and were reported to be in stable condition.
Speaking at a meeting of the national security council, President Ilham Aliyev condemned the incident as an act of aggression and said the armed forces had been ordered to prepare appropriate retaliatory measures.
āWe will not tolerate this unprovoked act of terror and aggression,ā Aliyev said, warning that Azerbaijan was ready to demonstrate its strength against any hostile force.
However, Iran rejected the allegations. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov in a phone call that Tehran had not fired any projectiles toward Azerbaijan.
Araghchi accused Israel of attempting to damage Iranās relations with its neighbours by staging such attacks.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi also denied the claims, saying Iran does not attack neighbouring countries.
Azerbaijanās foreign ministry has demanded a formal explanation from Iran and handed a note of protest to the Iranian ambassador, saying the incident could further escalate tensions in the region.
Meanwhile, Pakistan expressed serious concern over recent attacks targeting both Turkiye and Azerbaijan.
In a statement, Pakistanās foreign office said such actions violate international law and could intensify instability in the region. Islamabad reaffirmed its solidarity with the two countries and urged restraint as well as dialogue to maintain peace and stability.
Saudi Arabia also strongly condemned the alleged attacks. The Saudi foreign ministry criticised what it described as Iranās hostile behaviour towards regional states and warned that such actions could push the region toward further escalation.
Separately, Iranās ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Alireza Enayati, denied accusations that Tehran had targeted the US embassy in Riyadh earlier this week, insisting that Iran had no role in the alleged drone attack.
The incident has raised concerns about the possible spillover of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East into neighbouring regions.
Azerbaijan is a major oil and gas producer exporting energy to Europe and Turkiye through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, and analysts warn that any disruption to its infrastructure could further drive up global energy prices.
Relations between Iran and Azerbaijan have been strained in recent years, partly due to Bakuās close economic and military ties with Turkiye and Israel. Experts also note that around 20 million ethnic Azerbaijanis live in Iran, making them the countryās largest minority group.
