Azerbaijan is evacuating its diplomatic personnel from Iran, a move Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said was for their safety following an alleged Iranian drone incursion The decision, ordered directly by President Ilham Aliyev, marks a severe rupture in relations between the two neighboring countries
The evacuation applies to Azerbaijan's embassy in Tehran and its consulate general in Tabriz "On the orders of President Ilham Aliyev, instructions have been given to evacuate our embassy in Tehran and the consulate general in Tabriz from Iran... We cannot put the lives of our people at risk," Bayramov stated at a news conference in Baku on Friday The consulate in Tabriz is located in the largest city in Iran's northwest, a region with a significant population of ethnic Azerbaijanis
The decision came one day after Azerbaijan’s government accused Iran of flying four drones across its border into the Nakhchivan exclave, an incursion Baku claims resulted in four injuries President Aliyev had threatened retaliation following the incident, while Iranian officials have denied launching the drones
While the two nations share a border, they have experienced long-standing friction. Tensions have been fueled in part by Azerbaijan's close relations with Israel, which have previously drawn Tehran's ire The suspension of diplomatic operations removes a key channel for communication and de-escalation, marking a significant escalation in a historically complex bilateral relationship and raising concerns about potential miscalculation between the two states.
Mohsin Rana
