Baku has ordered the evacuation of its diplomatic staff from Iran a day after Iranian drones struck the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan in a major expansion of the US-Israel war against Iran into the South Caucasus. While President Ilham Aliyev has ruled out military operations against Iran, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said on Friday security measures were still being increased.
On Thursday, several Iranian drones struck Nakhchivan, damaging the exclave’s airport and injuring at least four people.
Aliyev reacted harshly to the incident, calling it a ‘terrorist attack’, ordering the mobilisation of the army, and saying there would be a response. For its part, Iran has denied responsibility for the incident and accused Israel of carrying out a false flag attack.
During a press conference with his Moldovan counterpart Mihai Popșoi on Friday, Bayramov said the evacuation orders applied to both the embassy in Tehran and the consulate in Tabriz.
‘These instructions are currently in the implementation phase. Against the background of the development of these events, we cannot put the lives of our people at risk’, Bayramov said.
‘We will wait for the results of the investigation conducted by the Iranian side regarding the drone attacks, and depending on its outcome, further steps and decisions will be taken’.
Bayramov also spoke about the security situation in the country, saying the ‘security measures are at the highest level under the control of the president’ and that the ‘readiness level of the military forces is being further increased’.
The drone attack the previous day received condemnation from around the world, and resulted in Bayramov holding consultations with a variety of foreign leaders and counterparts, including Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, who expressed ‘concern’ over the developments.
The strikes in Nakhchivan were also followed by a number of increased security restrictions in the region, including the temporary closure of the airspace and the movement of lorries over the border to Iran, as well as updates in travel advisories from the UK, the US, and other countries. There were also reports that entry and exit into the city of Nakhchivan, the capital of the region, had been restricted.
In the interim, the airport in the Turkish city of Iğdır will be used for transport between Baku and Nakhchivan.
Javid Agha
