Iran Denies Launching Drones Toward Azerbaijan, Calls Incident a Provocation

Iran has officially rejected accusations that its armed forces launched drones toward Azerbaijan. The General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces issued a statement categorically denying any involvement in the incident, which reportedly involved drones falling on the territory of an airport in Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan region.

The statement emphasized Iran's respect for the sovereignty of all nations, particularly neighboring and Muslim countries. "The Islamic Republic of Iran, respecting the sovereignty of all countries, especially Muslim and neighboring states, refutes the launch of a drone by its armed forces toward the Republic of Azerbaijan," the military command declared.

Iranian authorities characterized the event as a deliberate provocation. They stated that an investigation concluded the actions were taken by "this regime" with the specific aim of blaming Iran. The General Staff further alleged that similar tactics had been used in the past by Israel to damage relations between Muslim nations.

Earlier reports indicated that drones launched from Iranian territory crashed at an airport in Nakhchivan. Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry subsequently confirmed that the incident caused damage to an airport building and resulted in injuries to several civilians.

In response, Baku demanded prompt explanations and a thorough investigation from Tehran, along with measures to prevent such occurrences in the future. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry underscored that Azerbaijan reserves the right to take reciprocal actions.