Iran FM denies Azerbaijan strike, blames ‘Israel’ for drone incident
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected allegations that Tehran was behind a drone strike in Azerbaijan, accusing Israel of orchestrating the incident to strain relations between the neighboring states.
Speaking with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov on Thursday, Araghchi “denied that Iran fired any projectiles” toward Azerbaijani territory.
He further criticized “the role of the Israeli regime in such attacks in order to divert public opinion and destroy Iran’s good relations with its neighbours”, according to a statement issued by Iran’s foreign ministry.
Authorities reported that four people were injured in the midday drone attack in Nakhichevan, an Azerbaijani exclave bordering Iran.
IRGC denies responsibility
Iran’s armed forces on Thursday also denied involvement in the drone attack targeting Azerbaijan.
The statement was issued by the Iranian Armed Forces’ General Staff and carried by the Iranian state broadcaster IRIB.
They also suggested that “Israel” was responsible for launching a drone towards Azerbaijani territory in an attempt to escalate tensions between Baku and Tehran.
This comes as regional tensions intensified exponentially following a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran in late February.
