Azerbaijan accused Iran of carrying out a drone strike on March 5 that hit civilian facilities at Nakhichevan International Airport, reportedly injuring four civilians, prompting President Ilham Aliyev to order the armed forces mobilized at the highest level of combat readiness despite Tehran denying involvement. Armenia’s leadership convened a Security Council meeting amid rising concern the conflict could spread toward the region.
The strike hit civilian facilities including the terminal of Nakhichevan International Airport, reportedly injuring four civilians.
A second drone fell near a school in a nearby village. If confirmed, the attack would mark Iran’s first strike on a Caucasus state since the start of the US-Israel conflict with Iran, raising concerns about the conflict spreading beyond the Middle East.
In response, the Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Iran later denied any involvement, with Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi telling Tasnim news agency, “The Islamic Republic of Iran has not targeted the Republic of Azerbaijan. We do not target our neighbouring countries.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian denied that Iran had launched any missile toward Azerbaijan and said that Iran’s armed forces are conducting the necessary investigation into the incident.
The Iranian official also claimed that Israel has played a role in creating such attacks to mislead public opinion and disrupt Iran’s relations with its neighbors, noting that similar incidents have been observed in recent days.
Chairing a meeting of the country’s Security Council, Aliyev emphasized that Azerbaijan has no interest in attacking neighboring countries, but will always defend its territorial integrity. Drawing parallels with the war with Armenia, he said, “Just as we ended the ‘Armenian occupation’, we are ready to demonstrate our strength against any hostile force. Those who commit such ‘terrorist acts’ will regret it and should not test our patience. Any hostile force will feel the full might of our ‘Iron Fist.’”
Addressing the Security Council, Aliyev said that “those responsible must be brought to justice without delay.”
“The Iranian side must provide an official explanation, issue an apology, and ensure the perpetrators are held criminally accountable,” Aliyev said at the meeting.
“Our Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defense, the State Border Service, and all other Special Forces have been placed at the highest level of combat readiness and are prepared to carry out any necessary operations,” the president of Azerbaijan added.
He added that Tehran was “repeatedly informed” that Azerbaijan’s territory would not be used to stage attacks against Iran.
Aliyev recalled Iranian accusations that Azerbaijan was allowing Israel to launch attacks against it in the Iran–Israel war of June 2025, calling such accusations a “dirty, defamatory campaign against Azerbaijan in an attempt to discredit Azerbaijan and influence the opinions of our fellow Azeris in Iran.”
“They know that the independent Azerbaijani state today is a source of hope for many Azeris in Iran,” he added.
Around 20 million ethnic Azeris live in Iran, the country’s largest minority group who make up around 25% of the country’s population and live in East Azerbaijan province bordering Armenia.
Azerbaijan has also halted truck traffic along its border with Iran, the state news agency AZERTAC reported, citing the government.
Aliyev highlighted Azerbaijan’s prior goodwill toward Iran, including assisting with evacuations of Iranians in Lebanon, and condemned the drone strike as a “vile and dishonorable” act.
He concluded that all diplomatic, security, and military measures necessary to protect Azerbaijan’s sovereignty have been implemented and promised to keep the Azerbaijani people informed.
Meanwhile, in Armenia, a Security Council meeting was held Thursday evening under Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, attended by President Vahagn Khachaturyan, Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan, and other officials, presumably to address the situation following the Nakhchivan attack and the growing risk of the conflict approaching Armenia.
