Amid the escalating military conflict in West Asia, Azerbaijan has withdrawn its diplomats from Iran, the Interfax news agency reported on Friday. The development comes a day after Iranian drones struck targets in the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan.
One drone hit the airport terminal in Nakhchivan, while another exploded near a school, injuring civilians. A third drone was shot down by air defences before it could strike its target.
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev condemned the incident as an “act of terror”, demanding an explanation and apology from Iran. He also ordered Azerbaijan’s armed forces to be placed on high alert as tensions between the two neighbours escalated.
An airstrike was reported in Miandoab in Iran’s West Azerbaijan Province, news agency Reuters reported, quoting the semi-official Asriran news agency on Friday. The report said explosions were heard in the area after the strike. Azerbaijan and Iran’s ties have been strained for years.
Diplomatic tensions have also strained in the past, including a 2023 attack on Azerbaijan’s embassy in Tehran that killed a security officer.
Meanwhile, the United States–Israel military campaign against Iran has entered its seventh day, with continued airstrikes and retaliatory exchanges.
The operations, codenamed Epic Fury and Roaring Lion, reportedly killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders, creating a leadership vacuum and heightening the risk of wider regional escalation.
