File image.
Tensions are mounting between Iran and Azerbaijan amid suspicions in Tehran that Baku allowed the Israeli military its airspace to carry out recent strikes on Iranian territory during the recent 12-day war.
Israel began the war on June 13, stating that its goal was to cripple Iran’s nuclear program. A ceasefire was suddenly announced on June 24, just two days after the United States joined the war by attacking three key nuclear sites in the Islamic Republic.
On June 28, Iran’s Ambassador to Armenia, Mehdi Sobhani, revealed that Tehran had asked Baku to conduct a thorough investigation into whether Israeli drones entered Iranian airspace from Azerbaijan during the war.
“We do not confirm some of the information and reports published by certain sources in this regard… Once all aspects of the situation become clear, we will decide on our response,” the ambassador said during a press conference at the National Press Club in Yerevan, according to Fars news agency.
“We have not permitted Iranian territory to be used for such purposes. If Azerbaijan has granted such permission, it must provide an explanation in accordance with international law,” he added.
Sobhani said Iranian intelligence has received information indicating that a small number of Israeli drones crossed into Iran from neighboring countries.
As a result, he said, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian raised the issue in a phone call with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, requesting a serious investigation.
Azerbaijan has assured Iran that it would not allow its territory to be used against it, according to Sobhani, who emphasized that Tehran needs to receive accurate information before responding.
Click to see full-size image. Via Telegram.
There is evidence indicating that Israel may have launched or just operated drones out of Azerbaijan. For example, the wreckage of an Orbiter 4, an Israeli reconnaissance drone with a limited range, was found in western Iran. Azerbaijan produces this type in partnership with Israel.
Iranian media made even more serious accusations during the war, reporting that Israeli fighter jets used Azerbaijani airspace, particularly over the Caspian Sea, to carry out strikes on Tehran and other areas in the center of the Islamic Republic.
At least one F-15 drop tank washed off the Iranian shores on the Caspian Sea after the end of the war, which shows that these accusations have merit.
Click to see full-size image. Via Telegram.
While it is highly unlikely that Israeli fighter jets took off from Azerbaijan, they may have refueled there on the air or even on the ground before heading back.
Azerbaijan is one of the main defense partners of Israel. The support of Israel was critical for the Azerbaijani victory in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War with Armenia in 2020.
And while Baku maintains somewhat decent relations with Tehran, its media has been upping the criticism of Iran and its leadership.
In an editorial published recently by the Azerbaijani news outlet Caliber, the writer claimed that “Iran’s primary enemy is not an individual official or diplomatic actor, but Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei himself.”
The piece accused Khamenei of spearheading a long-standing “hostile and subversive policy” toward Baku, claiming that every anti-Azerbaijani provocation and leak of sensitive information could be traced back to his office. “This is not a series of isolated incidents,” the article stated. “This is an ideology — and its architect is Ali Khamenei.”
The tensions between Iran and Azerbaijan could lead to a conflict. Tehran, which is still recovering from the war, will not likely initiate any action, but Baku could. In recent years, the Azerbaijani leadership has shown a will to play a larger regional role, and a conflict with Iran could serve its Israeli allies.
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