Tensions between Iran and Azerbaijan resurfaced on Thursday following Iran’s claim that Israel may have used Azerbaijani airspace to launch attacks during the recent 12-day war. The Iranian presidency said that Azerbaijan had denied these allegations during a phone conversation between Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
The conflict, which began on June 13, saw Israel launch a significant aerial campaign targeting Iranian nuclear and military facilities, reportedly resulting in the deaths of several top scientists and commanders. A ceasefire between Iran and Israel came into effect earlier this week on Tuesday.
According to the Iranian presidential office, President Pezeshkian pressed Aliyev to investigate reports that Israel had conducted “drone and microlight attacks into Iranian skies through the airspace of the Republic of Azerbaijan.” The statement emphasized Iran’s concern that a neighboring country may have facilitated an attack on its sovereign territory.
President Aliyev, however, firmly denied the allegations, assuring Pezeshkian that Azerbaijan “would not in any way allow its skies to be used against the friendly and brotherly country.” The Azerbaijani government’s readout of the conversation notably omitted any mention of the issue of Israeli airspace usage.
Azerbaijan had previously made its position clear shortly after the outbreak of the Iran-Israel conflict. On June 14, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov reassured Iran that Azerbaijan would never permit its territory to be used for attacks on third countries, including Iran.
Despite these reassurances, Tehran has long harbored concerns about Israeli influence in Azerbaijan, especially given that Israel is one of Azerbaijan’s key arms suppliers. Iranian officials have repeatedly voiced suspicions over the possibility of Israeli military access via the northwestern border.
The situation reflects the broader complexities of Middle Eastern geopolitics, where regional alliances and rivalries intersect in delicate and often opaque ways. While Baku maintains it is acting as a neutral party, Tehran’s demand for clarity underscores the fragile trust between the two neighbors.
As both countries navigate the aftermath of the Iran-Israel confrontation, diplomacy will be crucial in preventing further escalations in a volatile region.
