Azerbaijan Says It May Retaliate After Accusing Iran of Drone Attack

Azerbaijan on Thursday accused the Iranian regime of a drone attack targeting its territory that injured four people and said it would retaliate as the conflict in the Middle East spread further.

The country’s foreign ministry said that on Thursday, “drone attacks were carried out” in Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic—a landlocked exclave that borders Armenia, Turkey, and Iran—that originated from Iran. One struck an airport building in the autonomous region, and another fell near a school building in a village, the ministry said.

“We strongly condemn these drone attacks … which resulted in damage to the airport building and injuries of two civilians,” the statement said, adding that the Iranian regime must provide a “clear explanation regarding the case” and carry out an investigation into the matter, among other steps.

The ministry then warned that Azerbaijan “reserves the right to take appropriate response measures,” adding it also summoned the Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan, where a “strong protest” will be conveyed to Tehran.

It was unclear whether the attack was deliberate or an accident.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, in a separate statement, accused Iran of carrying out “a groundless act of terror and aggression,” and said his military has been told to prepare and implement retaliatory measures. The nation, which borders the Caspian Sea, halted truck traffic across the more than 400-mile border with Iran.

“We will not tolerate this groundless act of terror and aggression committed against Azerbaijan,” Aliyev said in a statement carried by the Azertac news agency. “Iranian officials must provide an explanation to the Azerbaijani side, an apology must be offered, and those who committed this terrorist act must be held criminally liable.”

Iranian officials have denied that the country had launched a drone toward Azerbaijan’s territory. Iran has repeatedly denied targeting oil infrastructure and other civilian targets in the war, despite its drone and missile fire hitting those sites.

In a statement carried by the state-run Tasnim News, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said that the regime is “not targeting neighboring countries” in light of the claims made by Azerbaijan. The incident at the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic must be investigated, he added.

“Because we have announced it from the beginning that, if there are any military bases in the region and they are used to attack Iran, we will target them. So that was the policy that we have,” the deputy foreign minister said on Thursday.

The incident comes as the United States and Israel launched airstrikes targeting Iran’s military and leadership, killing its top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, over the past weekend. Khamenei ruled the country from 1989 until his death.

Iran has responded by firing missiles and drones at Israel, U.S. military assets, and a number of neighboring countries. On Wednesday, the Turkish government said that NATO defense systems intercepted a missile near its territory, although the Pentagon signaled that the incident was likely not sufficient to trigger the alliance’s Article 5 defense provision.

Azerbaijan in recent years has developed ties with Israel and the United States, with Iran’s influence in the South Caucasus region diminishing. U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Aliyev and other top officials at the White House last year for a three-way summit with Armenia.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.