“If Iran Wanted to Strike Azerbaijan, It Wouldn’t Have Missed”: Iranian Ambassador Rejects Drone Attack Claims

Iran has again denied accusations that it launched drones that struck Azerbaijan’s exclave of Nakhijevan earlier in March. Iran’s Ambassador to Armenia, Khalil Shirgholami, said there would have been no reason for Iran to carry out such an attack.

In an interview with Armenian media on Tuesday, Shirgholami rejected Azerbaijan’s claims and argued that if Iran had wanted to attack Azerbaijan, the drones would not have missed their targets.

The incident occurred on March 5, when Azerbaijan reported that drones struck Nakhijevan International Airport and nearby locations. According to Azerbaijani authorities, four people were injured and buildings in the area were damaged.

Azerbaijan reacted strongly to the incident. President Ilham Aliyev described the strike as a ‘terrorist attack’ and ordered the mobilization of the army.

"Those who in the past had their sculls crushed with “Iron Fist” and today’s events will lead to the same outcome".

Aliyev also held a meeting with the country’s Security Council, stating that four drones had carried out the strike. During the meeting he sharply criticized Iran and reminded that he was the only world leader who visited the Iranian Embassy to express condolences after the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

The tensions later eased after Aliyev spoke by phone with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. During the conversation, Pezeshkian also denied Iran’s involvement in the drone strike.

Despite the diplomatic contact, Iran has continued to reject the accusations while Azerbaijan maintains that the drones came from Iranian territory.

Shirgholami repeated Tehran’s position and also raised concerns about Israel’s presence in Azerbaijan.

"Israel has a security presence in the Republic of Azerbaijan; we know this".

He suggested that the incident was suspicious and criticized Azerbaijan’s reaction.

"Therefore, this incident was suspicious, and Azerbaijan’s response was disproportionate and unfriendly. Their reactions caused our military command to warn the Republic of Azerbaijan that instead of starting these processes, it should be careful not to let the Israeli regime attack the Islamic Republic of Iran from their territory, because if there is an attack, we will respond without hesitation and with full determination".

Shirgholami also questioned Azerbaijan’s response to the situation.

"The noise [Azerbaijan] raised was completely unfounded and pointless. I believe they themselves noticed that these reactions were inappropriate and are correcting it to some extent".

The tensions also affected border traffic and diplomatic operations. Azerbaijan temporarily suspended the movement of transit vehicles through all checkpoints along the Azerbaijan–Iran border starting on March 5. The restrictions affected trucks transporting goods and complicated evacuation efforts for Azerbaijani citizens and foreign nationals leaving Iran through Azerbaijani territory.

On March 6, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said that Azerbaijan had begun evacuating staff from its embassy in Tehran and its consulate in the Iranian city of Tabriz.

The border closure lasted three days before the transit of goods resumed on Monday.

As evacuation efforts continued, a total of 2,097 people were evacuated from Iran through Azerbaijan as of Tuesday morning. Among them, 365 were Azerbaijani citizens. According to the Azerbaijani news agency APA, only 29 of those evacuated were Iranian citizens.

Despite the tensions, Azerbaijan also sent humanitarian assistance to Iran on Tuesday. According to the Azerbaijani state news agency Azertac, the aid was delivered following instructions from President Ilham Aliyev after his phone conversation with President Masoud Pezeshkian.

The humanitarian shipment included 10 tonnes of flour, six tonnes of rice, more than two tonnes of sugar, over four tonnes of water, nearly 600 kilograms of tea, and around two tonnes of medicines and medical supplies.

The aid was transported by Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations and delivered to the city of Astara near the border with Iran.

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