Azerbaijan Sues CNN After Network Refuses to Retract Claims Israel Used Its Territory During Iran War

Azerbaijan has taken CNN to court in the United States over a report alleging that Israeli military and intelligence teams operated from Azerbaijani territory during the June war with Iran, escalating a dispute over Baku’s role in the conflict.

The lawsuit follows months of denials from Azerbaijani officials, who say the country has not allowed its territory to be used for military operations against neighboring Iran.

Azerbaijan’s pro-government Report news agency said Tuesday that officials asked CNN three times to retract the allegations before filing the case. The outlet said CNN had indicated it would review Baku’s objections but ultimately left the report unchanged.

CNN published the investigation June 5, citing four unnamed sources who described an Israeli presence at several locations in southern Azerbaijan. The report said elite military and intelligence units were positioned there as part of a broader network supporting Israeli operations against Iran.

Two sources told CNN that one of the sites was roughly 100 kilometers, or 62 miles, from Tabriz in northwestern Iran, a city targeted by Israeli strikes during the fighting.

Two other sources said Israeli commandos conducted intelligence and drone operations from Azerbaijani territory, giving Israel access to a strategically important position near Iran’s northern border.

Baku rejected the account.

Azerbaijan’s Embassy in Washington called the allegations that its territory had been used for operations against another country “unfounded.” CNN included the Azerbaijani response in its original story, along with comments from the country’s Media Development Agency.

The allegations are particularly sensitive because Azerbaijan shares a long border with Iran while maintaining close political, economic and defense ties with Israel.

Questions about whether Israel has used Azerbaijani territory for operations against Iran also predate the June conflict. Baku denied similar speculation during the 2025 Israel-Iran war.

In January, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov sought to reassure Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that Azerbaijan would not allow its territory to be used by another country to attack Iran.

Report said Azerbaijan turned to the U.S. courts after CNN did not retract its reporting despite the repeated requests.

The case puts an unusually public spotlight on allegations surrounding Azerbaijan’s security relationship with Israel at a time when Baku continues to insist that its territory will not be used as a staging ground for attacks on Iran.

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