Iran, Azerbaijan Exchange Accusations over an Israeli Proposal

Azerbaijani soldiers patrolling Agdam after it was recovered from Armenia in November 2020 (AP)
Azerbaijani soldiers patrolling Agdam after it was recovered from Armenia in November 2020 (AP)
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Iran, Azerbaijan Exchange Accusations over an Israeli Proposal

Azerbaijani soldiers patrolling Agdam after it was recovered from Armenia in November 2020 (AP)
Azerbaijani soldiers patrolling Agdam after it was recovered from Armenia in November 2020 (AP)

The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen's statements regarding the agreement with his Azerbaijani counterpart on "forming a united front" against Tehran.

Iranian Al-Alam TV quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani as saying that Tehran sees the statements of the Israeli and Azeri foreign ministers as an "implicit affirmation of cooperation between the two anti-Iran sides," and demanded an explanation from the Azeri authorities in this regard.

Kanani said that these remarks show "sinister intentions" of Israel to turn the territory of Azerbaijan "into a national security threat" for Iran.

Azerbaijan quickly responded to the Iranian threats, saying Tehran would "never intimidate" Baku, according to a statement by the Foreign Ministry.

The Ministry warned that the Iranian statement is the next step toward the crisis in the relations between Azerbaijan and Iran, adding that the Iranian-Armenian rapprochement "remains a threat to the entire region."

"Over the past 30 years, Iran has, with its tacit consent, turned a blind eye to Armenia's occupation of Azerbaijani territories over the past 30 years."

The Azeri Ministry stated that Iran ignored the occupation of Karabakh and East Zangazur and plundering these territories, the sale of stones demolished from houses in these territories in Iranian markets, and the destruction and destruction and desecration of 65 of the existing 67 mosques.

The statement concluded that despite the military support sent from Iranian territory to Armenia, the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan destroyed the occupying Armed Forces of Armenia in 2020.

Last Wednesday, Azerbaijan opened an embassy in Israel in the presence of the two countries' foreign ministers.

Relations between Azerbaijan and Iran were also tense after an attack on the Baku embassy in Tehran last January.

On Thursday, Cohen said he had discussed with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides blacklisting the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.

In a tweet about the meeting, he said they discussed boosting regional alliance and joint efforts to combat terrorism "in light of the Iranian attack on Israelis and Jews in Greece that was thwarted" last week.

Cohen said earlier Thursday that he discussed with his Cypriot counterpart Constantinos Kombos what he called the battle against the terrorist regime in Tehran that threatens regional stability.

He indicated that the Iranian regime "threatens both our regions, finances terrorism, and destabilizes the entire Middle East," adding that he asked the foreign ministers of Greece and Cyprus to move to declare the IRGC a terrorist organization in the EU.

On Thursday, Azerbaijan denounced the "defamatory" statements by a top Iranian military commander in the latest indication of strained relations between the two neighbors.

The Ministry of Defense said that Iranian Ground Force Commander Brigadier General Kioumars Haidari said that ISIS terrorists fought for Azerbaijan and were still present in the country.

The Ministry said that Haidari made vile defamatory, and slanderous statements regarding Azerbaijan, saying they were "unfounded and completely unacceptable."

In January, Azerbaijan closed its embassy in Tehran following a "terror attack" that killed the embassy's security chief.

Baku is also not satisfied with signs of improvement in relations between Iran and Armenia after the 2020 war against Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

"The Iranian side had never made compromising statements about Armenia," read the statement, adding: "the Iranian-Armenian brotherhood strengthened during this period. It is obvious that in the world, there are two main allies of Armenia, one of which is France, and the other is Iran."



Two Dead in Attacks on Either Side of Ukraine-Russia Border

A handout photo made available by the State Emergency Service shows a damaged private building following a drone attack in Kyiv's area, Ukraine, 03 January 2025, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. EPA/STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE HANDOUT
A handout photo made available by the State Emergency Service shows a damaged private building following a drone attack in Kyiv's area, Ukraine, 03 January 2025, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. EPA/STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE HANDOUT
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Two Dead in Attacks on Either Side of Ukraine-Russia Border

A handout photo made available by the State Emergency Service shows a damaged private building following a drone attack in Kyiv's area, Ukraine, 03 January 2025, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. EPA/STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE HANDOUT
A handout photo made available by the State Emergency Service shows a damaged private building following a drone attack in Kyiv's area, Ukraine, 03 January 2025, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. EPA/STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE HANDOUT

Attacks on both sides of the Ukraine-Russia border killed two people on Friday, local officials said.
Three missiles hit a residential area near the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, killing one person, injuring four and destroying two houses, they said. A picture posted by the regional governor showed the shattered facade of a private home.
In southern Russia's Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces hold swathes of territory five months after a mass incursion, a man walking down a road was killed in a drone strike, Reuters quoted the regional governor as saying.
The Ukrainian military said on Thursday it had carried out a high-precision strike on a Russian command post in Kursk region. Russia's military said it had downed four Ukrainian missiles.
Russia says it has recaptured much of the territory seized by Ukrainian forces after they poured over the border into Kursk region in August.