Amid Diplomatic Rift with Iran, Azerbaijan Prepares to Deter Potential Threats

Azeri service members take part in a procession marking the anniversary of the end of the 2020 military conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh breakaway region, involving Azerbaijan’s troops against ethnic Armenian forces, in Baku, Azerbaijan, November 8, 2021. (Reuters)
Azeri service members take part in a procession marking the anniversary of the end of the 2020 military conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh breakaway region, involving Azerbaijan’s troops against ethnic Armenian forces, in Baku, Azerbaijan, November 8, 2021. (Reuters)
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Amid Diplomatic Rift with Iran, Azerbaijan Prepares to Deter Potential Threats

Azeri service members take part in a procession marking the anniversary of the end of the 2020 military conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh breakaway region, involving Azerbaijan’s troops against ethnic Armenian forces, in Baku, Azerbaijan, November 8, 2021. (Reuters)
Azeri service members take part in a procession marking the anniversary of the end of the 2020 military conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh breakaway region, involving Azerbaijan’s troops against ethnic Armenian forces, in Baku, Azerbaijan, November 8, 2021. (Reuters)

Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defense raised the degree of combat readiness to deter all potential threats in the wake of its diplomatic rift with Iran.

Meanwhile, the Iranian and Azeri foreign ministries continued to exchange accusations on Twitter on Saturday, after Baku angered Tehran following a press conference between its foreign minister and his Israeli counterpart, who spoke of their countries’ understanding to form a unified front against Iran.

In a tweet on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said: “By approaching the Islamic countries, the Zionist entity seeks to cause divisions in the Islamic nation in order to achieve its expansionist goals.”

He added: “Isn’t this continued silence an affirmation that [Azerbaijan] tacitly agrees with the words of its strategic partner?”

In response, Ayhan Hajizadeh, an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, tweeted: “We have clarified our position on the allegations against Azerbaijan. The main question is: Why does the Iranian side stick to its systematic deviation from the rule and rationality in governance?”

“This is clearly a biased approach. Whoever wants to know the truth can watch the media video,” he added, referring to the press conference between the Israeli and Azerbaijani foreign ministers.

On Friday, Tehran requested an official clarification from Baku about its cooperation with Israel. Kanaani said his country saw the statements by the FMs as an “implicit affirmation of cooperation between the two anti-Iran parties,” and demanded an explanation from Azeri authorities.

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

Before the tension between the two sides escalated last week, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Bagheri Kani visited Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, on March 22, and pledged that his country would use “the full potential to solve regional issues through peaceful dialogue.”

The Iranian diplomat was referring to the possibility of renewed tension in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Meanwhile, the Azeri Minister of Defense, General Zakir Hasanov, said the “accusations leveled by senior military personnel from some countries that sponsor terrorism… are unacceptable and absurd,” reported the state news agency Azertac.

He told a meeting that included his deputies and army commanders on Saturday: “No one can speak to us in the language of threats,” criticizing “recent statements made by parties that do not accept the victories of the Azerbaijani army.”

This comes after Azerbaijan denounced the statements by Iranian commander of the ground forces, Kioumars Heydari, who accused Baku of using ISIS fighters in the 2020 war, in which Armenia was defeated.



Myanmar Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 3,085 as More Bodies Found

People look at the collapsed Maha Myat Muni Pagoda following an earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, 28 March 2025 (issued 29 March 2025). EPA/STRINGER
People look at the collapsed Maha Myat Muni Pagoda following an earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, 28 March 2025 (issued 29 March 2025). EPA/STRINGER
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Myanmar Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 3,085 as More Bodies Found

People look at the collapsed Maha Myat Muni Pagoda following an earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, 28 March 2025 (issued 29 March 2025). EPA/STRINGER
People look at the collapsed Maha Myat Muni Pagoda following an earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, 28 March 2025 (issued 29 March 2025). EPA/STRINGER

The death toll from the massive earthquake that hit Myanmar nearly a week ago rose Thursday to 3,085 as search and rescue teams found more bodies, the military-led government said, and humanitarian aid groups scrambled to provide survivors medical care and shelter.
In a short statement, the military said another 4,715 people have been injured and 341 are missing.
The epicenter of Friday's 7.7 magnitude earthquake was near Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city. It brought down thousands of buildings, buckled roads and destroyed bridges in multiple regions, The Associated Press said.
Local media reports of casualties have been much higher than the official figures and with telecommunications widely out and many places difficult to reach, it's thought the numbers could rise sharply as more details come in.
The World Health Organization said that according to its initial assessment, four hospitals and one health center had been completely destroyed while another 32 hospitals and 18 health centers had been partially damaged.
“With infrastructure compromised and patient numbers surging, access to health care has become nearly impossible in many of the worst-hit areas,” the UN said. “Thousands of people are in urgent need of trauma care, surgical interventions and treatment for disease outbreaks.”
A mobile hospital from India and a joint Russian-Belarusian hospital also were now operating in Mandalay.
With many left homeless by the earthquake, and many others staying away from their homes over fears ongoing aftershocks will bring them down, workers in Naypyitaw labored in the 40 degree Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) busily erected big tents in open fields to provide some shelter.
In Mandalay, local residents gave slices of watermelon to Chinese volunteers taking a break from the heat.
More than 1,550 international rescuers were operating alongside locals on Thursday, according to a statement from the military. Rescue supplies and equipment have been sent by 17 countries.
Myanmar’s military seized power in 2021 from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking what has turned into a civil war.
The quake worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis, with more than 3 million people displaced from their homes and nearly 20 million in need even before it hit, according to the United Nations.
As concerns grew that ongoing fighting could hamper humanitarian aid efforts, the military declared a temporary ceasefire Wednesday, through April 22. The announcement followed unilateral temporary ceasefires announced by armed resistance groups opposed to military rule.
The military said it would still take “necessary” measures against those groups if they use the ceasefire to regroup, train or launch attacks.
Already on Thursday there were reports from local media in Kachin state in the north of Myanmar that military attacks continued in several areas, but they could not be independently confirmed.
Prior to the earthquake the military was battling the Kachin Independence Army group. The KIA on Wednesday also declared a ceasefire but reserved the right to defend itself. It was unclear how the reported fighting broke out.
The earthquake shook Kachin, but there have been no reports of damage there.
In Bangkok, where the quake brought down a skyscraper under construction, the search for survivors and bodies continued as Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt said a possible sound of life was detected in the rubble. By near day's end, however, nobody was found.
Twenty-two people were killed and 35 injured in the city, mostly by the collapse of the unfinished building.