Azerbaijani FM tells Iranian counterpart it won’t allow Israel to use territory for strikes

BAKU, Azerbaijan — Azerbaijan reassures neighboring Iran that it would not allow its territory to be used for attacks against Tehran, following unprecedented Israeli strikes on Iranian targets.

Iran has long expressed concern that Israel — a close ally of Azerbaijan and a key arms supplier — could use Azerbaijani territory to stage attacks.

“Azerbaijan will never allow its territory to be used for attacks on third countries, including friendly Iran,” Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov tells his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi.

In a phone call with Araghchi, Bayramov warned that the “conflict risked engulfing the broader region,” and called for “diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation,” the Azerbaijani foreign ministry press service tells AFP.

The ministry adds that Azerbaijan had facilitated land transit across its border after Iran closed its airspace in response to the Israeli strikes.