Nagorno-Karabakh Tensions Rise Sharply

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is pictured during an interview with Reuters in Yerevan, Armenia October 13, 2020. Hayk Baghdasaryan/Photolure via REUTERS
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is pictured during an interview with Reuters in Yerevan, Armenia October 13, 2020. Hayk Baghdasaryan/Photolure via REUTERS
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Nagorno-Karabakh Tensions Rise Sharply

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is pictured during an interview with Reuters in Yerevan, Armenia October 13, 2020. Hayk Baghdasaryan/Photolure via REUTERS
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is pictured during an interview with Reuters in Yerevan, Armenia October 13, 2020. Hayk Baghdasaryan/Photolure via REUTERS

Azerbaijan and Armenia exchanged accusations on Wednesday as tensions rose sharply around a fraying ceasefire in the mountain enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.

"Armenia is trying to attack and take control of our pipelines," Azeri President Ilham Aliyev said in an interview with Turkish broadcaster Haberturk.

"If Armenia tries to take control of the pipelines there, I can say that the outcome will be severe for them," he said.

Azerbaijan's defense ministry said separately that it would destroy all military facilities in Armenia that targeted Azeri civilian locations.

The Armenian defense ministry has denied firing on civilian targets, but said it reserved the right to target any military installations and combat movements in Azerbaijan.

It said on Wednesday that the Azeri side had opened fire towards the territory of Armenia and destroyed military equipment.

In a televised speech after Aliyev spoke, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said the situation in the conflict area was "very difficult" and that Azerbaijan and Turkey did not want "to stop their aggression".

Azerbaijan was trying to occupy Nagorno-Karabakh, he said, using similar language to Azeri leaders who say Armenian forces are occupying the territory.

Turkey's military exports to Azerbaijan have risen six-fold this year, with sales of drones and other military equipment rising to $77 million last month alone before fighting broke out over Nagorno-Karabakh, according to exports data.

The figures compiled by the Turkish Exporters' Assembly, which groups more than 95,000 exporting companies in 61 sectors, show Azerbaijan bought $123 million in defense and aviation equipment from Turkey in the first nine months of 2020.

Most of the purchases of drones, rocket launchers, ammunition and other weapons arrived were after July, when border clashes between Armenian and Azeri forces prompted Turkey and Azerbaijan to conduct joint military exercises.

The angry rhetoric between Azerbaijan and Armenia on Wednesday prompted Russia to appeal again for both sides to observe the humanitarian ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh.

But Moscow and Turkey also exchanged recriminations over the fighting that has killed more than 500 people since Sept. 27.

Fears are growing that the two big regional powers could be sucked into a conflict that is being fought close to Azeri pipelines which carry gas and oil to international markets.



Turkish FM to Attend Trump’s Board of Peace Meeting in Washington, Italy as ‘Observer’ 

28 November 2025, Berlin: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Wadephul. (dpa)
28 November 2025, Berlin: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Wadephul. (dpa)
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Turkish FM to Attend Trump’s Board of Peace Meeting in Washington, Italy as ‘Observer’ 

28 November 2025, Berlin: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Wadephul. (dpa)
28 November 2025, Berlin: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Wadephul. (dpa)

‌Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will travel to Washington in lieu of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the inaugural meeting of US President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace" on Thursday, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

A Turkish diplomatic source told Reuters ‌that Fidan, during the ‌talks, would call ‌for ⁠determined steps to ⁠resolve the Palestinian issue and emphasize that Israel must end actions to hinder the flow of aid into Gaza and stop its ceasefire violations.

Fidan ⁠will also reiterate Türkiye's ‌readiness ‌to contribute to Gaza's reconstruction and its ‌desire to help protect Palestinians ‌and ensure their security, the source said.

He will also call for urgent action against Israel's "illegal ‌settlement activities and settler violence in the West Bank", ⁠the ⁠source added.

According to a readout from Erdogan's office, the president separately told reporters on Wednesday that he hoped the Board of Peace would help achieve "the lasting stability, ceasefire, and eventually peace that Gaza has longed for", and would focus on bringing about a two-state solution.

The board, of which Trump is the chairman, was initially designed to oversee the Gaza truce and the territory's reconstruction after the war between Hamas and Israel.

Meanwhile, Italy will be present at the meeting as an "observer", Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Wednesday.

"I will go to Washington to represent Italy as an observer to this first meeting of the Board of Peace, to be present when talks occur and decisions are made for the reconstruction of Gaza and the future of Palestine," Tajani said according to ANSA news agency.

Italy cannot be present as anything more than an observer as the country's constitutional rules do not allow it to join an organization led by a single foreign leader.

But Tajani said it was key for Rome to be "at the forefront, listening to what is being done".

Since Trump launched the Board of Peace at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, at least 19 countries have signed its founding charter.


Energy Secretary: US to Stop Iran's Nuclear Ambitions 'One Way or the Other'

US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright speaks during a press conference after a meeting with Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas on February 11, 2026. (Photo by Juan BARRETO / AFP)
US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright speaks during a press conference after a meeting with Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas on February 11, 2026. (Photo by Juan BARRETO / AFP)
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Energy Secretary: US to Stop Iran's Nuclear Ambitions 'One Way or the Other'

US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright speaks during a press conference after a meeting with Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas on February 11, 2026. (Photo by Juan BARRETO / AFP)
US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright speaks during a press conference after a meeting with Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas on February 11, 2026. (Photo by Juan BARRETO / AFP)

The United States will deter Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons "one way or the other", US Energy Secretary Chris Wright warned on Wednesday.

"They've been very clear about what they would do with nuclear weapons. It's entirely unacceptable," Wright told reporters in Paris on the sidelines of meetings of the International Energy Agency.

"So one way or the other, we are going to end, deter Iran's march towards a nuclear weapon," Wright said.

US and Iranian officials held talks in Geneva on Tuesday aimed at averting the possibility of US military intervention to curb Tehran's nuclear program.

Iran said following the talks that they had agreed on "guiding principles" for a deal to avoid conflict.

US Vice President JD Vance, however, said Tehran had not yet acknowledged all of Washington's red lines.


Iran, Russia to Conduct Joint Drills in the Sea of Oman 

This handout photo released by Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)'s official website Sepanews on February 17, 2026, shows boats maneuvering around a tanker vessel during a military exercise by members of the IRGC and navy in the Strait of Hormuz. (Sepahnews / AFP)
This handout photo released by Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)'s official website Sepanews on February 17, 2026, shows boats maneuvering around a tanker vessel during a military exercise by members of the IRGC and navy in the Strait of Hormuz. (Sepahnews / AFP)
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Iran, Russia to Conduct Joint Drills in the Sea of Oman 

This handout photo released by Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)'s official website Sepanews on February 17, 2026, shows boats maneuvering around a tanker vessel during a military exercise by members of the IRGC and navy in the Strait of Hormuz. (Sepahnews / AFP)
This handout photo released by Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)'s official website Sepanews on February 17, 2026, shows boats maneuvering around a tanker vessel during a military exercise by members of the IRGC and navy in the Strait of Hormuz. (Sepahnews / AFP)

Iran and Russia will conduct naval maneuvers in the Sea of Oman on Thursday, following the latest round of talks between Tehran and Washington in Geneva, Iranian media reported.

On Monday, the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of Iran's military, also launched exercises in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a challenge to US naval forces deployed in the region.

"The joint naval exercise of Iran and Russia will take place tomorrow (Thursday) in the Sea of Oman and in the northern Indian Ocean," the ISNA agency reported, citing drill spokesman, Rear Admiral Hassan Maghsoudloo.

"The aim is to strengthen maritime security and to deepen relations between the navies of the two countries," he said, without specifying the duration of the drill.

The war games come as Iran struck an upbeat tone following the second round of Oman-mediated negotiations in Geneva on Tuesday.

Previous talks between the two foes collapsed following the unprecedented Israeli strike on Iran in June 2025, which sparked a 12-day war that the United States briefly joined.

US President Donald Trump has deployed a significant naval force in the region, which he has described as an "armada."

Iranian officials have repeatedly threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, particularly during periods of tension with the United States, but it has never been closed.

A key passageway for global shipments of oil and liquefied natural gas, the Strait of Hormuz has been the scene of several incidents in the past and has returned to the spotlight as pressure has ratcheted amid the US-Iran talks.

Iran announced on Tuesday that it would partially close it for a few hours for "security" reasons during its own drills in the strait.