Azerbaijan threatens response after Iranian drone attack
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The news: Iranian drones hit the neighbouring territory of the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan on Thursday, according to the Azerbaijani government, as the conflict continues to intensify across the region on its sixth day.
The context: Azerbaijan’s Defence Ministry said in a statement: “These acts of aggression will not go unanswered,” and that response measures “to protect national sovereignty and civilian safety” are being readied.
The Foreign Ministry in Baku summoned the Iranian ambassador to protest the attack, after one of the drones crashed into the local airport’s terminal building, injuring two civilians, while another drone crashed near a village school in the region.
“The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan strongly condemns the attacks carried out by the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran against civilian infrastructure on the territory of our country, despite the absence of any military necessity.”
Nakhchivan is an autonomous landlocked territory of Azerbaijan which borders Iran to its south. Azerbeijan is a close trading partner of Israel, supplying it with more than 40% of its crude imports.
The news comes as aerial strikes continued across the region on Thursday. Debris from an intercepted drone attack injuring six people in Abu Dhabi, while Qatar’s Ministry of Defence said its air defences were battling a missile attack targeting the state.
Iran said its navy had hit a tanker in the north of the Persian Gulf. UK authorities said that a tanker off the coast of Kuwait suffered “a large explosion”. Oil tanker Sonagol Namibe was approached by a small boat in Khor Al Zubair in Iraq and its crew later heard a loud bang, according to Sonangol Marine Services. Sonangol Marine Services said the ship’s hull appeared to have been breached but that it was losing water from a ballast tank.
The sources: Azerbaijan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, FT, WSJ, Bloomberg
