Tehran presses Baku to investigate reported airspace misuse

PanARMENIAN.Net - Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, during a phone call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, urged a thorough investigation into reports that Israeli drones and aircraft might have entered Iranian airspace via Azerbaijani territory.

According to the IRNA news agency, Pezeshkian also emphasized that Iran has never initiated a war, unlike Israel, which has violated international law by targeting nuclear facilities, as reported byRFE/RLИ

In response, Aliyev reportedly expressed regret over Israel's attacks and the resulting civilian casualties, reiterating Azerbaijan's respect for Iran's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Aliyev denied claims that Israeli drones used Azerbaijani airspace for strikes against Iran, stating: "The Azerbaijani government fully controls its airspace and will never allow it to be used against Iran."

On the night of June 13, Israel launched military operations against Iran, accusing it of pursuing a secret military nuclear program that, according to Tel Aviv, had reached a "point of no return." Targets included nuclear sites, top generals, prominent nuclear physicists, air bases, air defense systems, and surface-to-surface missiles. Iran denied having any military elements in its nuclear program and responded with missile and drone strikes. On the night of June 22, the U.S. struck Iranian nuclear facilities. Iran later announced that it had evacuated all components. A ceasefire between Iran and Israel is now in effect.