Azerbaijan delivered 30 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Iran on Tuesday. According to the state-run media outlet Azertac, the aid was sent by the instruction of President Ilham Aliyev after a phone conversation with Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian.
Azertac wrote that the humanitarian aid included 10 tonnes of flour, six tonnes of rice, over two tonnes of sugar, more than four tonnes of water, almost 600 kg of tea, and about two tonnes of medicines and medical supplies.
The aid was delivered by the Ministry Emergency Situations, reportedly to Astara, located near the border.
Relations between two neighbouring countries worsened after a drone strike Azerbaijan said had come from Iran on Nakhchivan International Airport and a nearby school.
Immediately after the strike, Aliyev held a meeting with the Security Council, stating that the strikes were carried out by four drones.
Aliyev harshly criticised Iran and stressed that he was the only world leader who visited an Iran Embassy to express condolences over the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
During the meeting, Aliyev announced a military mobilisation, vowing to respond.
On 6 March, Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov held a conference with his Moldovan counterpart Mihai Popșoi, where he stated that Azerbaijan started evacuating its embassy in Tehran and consulate in Tabriz.
Nate Ostiller
Additionally, the government temporarily suspended the movement of transit vehicles from all checkpoints on the state border between Azerbaijan and Iran on 5 March.
The crisis between two countries also affected lorries transporting goods through the border and the evacuation of Azerbaijanis and foreign nationals from Iran through Azerbaijan territory.
The border closure only lasted for three days, with the transit of goods resuming on Monday.
As of Tuesday morning, a total of 2,097 people have been evacuated from Iran through Azerbaijan, 365 of whom were Azerbaijani citizens. According to APA, only 29 of those evacuated were Iranian citizens.
