Azerbaijan has accused Iran of carrying out a “terrorist” drone attack that struck an airport and injured four civilians, raising fears the conflict between the US-Israel alliance and Iran could spread beyond the Middle East. The Azerbaijani defence ministry said Iran fired four drones at the country, one of which hit the terminal building at the only airport in Nakhchivan, an Azerbaijani exclave bordering Iran. A second drone fell close to a school in a nearby village.
President Ilham Aliyev announced he had instructed the military to “prepare and implement response measures”, stating: “We will not tolerate this unprovoked act of terror and aggression against Azerbaijan.” He demanded an official explanation, an apology and criminal accountability from Iran, adding that his country “neither participated nor will participate in any operations against Iran this time around”. Iran denied responsibility, with Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi saying the Islamic Republic had not targeted Azerbaijan.
The strike would be the first Iranian attack on a Caucasus state since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran. Azerbaijan, an oil-rich nation that has maintained neutrality in the conflict, has recently strengthened ties with Israel and the Trump administration while moving away from Moscow. The country hosts no US military bases, which may indicate Iran is expanding its strikes beyond nations directly accommodating American forces.
The timing of the apparent attack is notable: a day earlier, Aliyev had visited the Iranian embassy in Baku to offer condolences over the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes. “No other head of state has visited any Iranian embassy,” he said. The drone incident is set to raise tensions in the Caucasus, where Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia have all proclaimed neutrality. Further attacks could disrupt global air travel, as Azerbaijan’s airspace is a key corridor for flights between Asia and Europe avoiding Russian airspace.
