Iran thinks that Azerbaijan’s actions against Iranian diplomats, who have been declared personae non grata, run counter to the principles of good neighborly relations, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani said on Friday, April 7, Tass reports.

"We think that such conduct of the Azerbaijani government runs counter to the principles of good neighborly relations," the ministry quoted him as saying on its Telegram channel.

The Iranian diplomat called on Baku to demonstrate "mutual respect, follow along the path of good neighborliness" and "stay away" from the "enemies of the region, including Israeli "Zionists."

The Azerbaijani foreign ministry said on April 6 that four employees of the Iranian embassy in Baku had been declared personae non gratae and were ordered to leave the country within 48 hours. A resolute protest was expressed to the Iranian ambassador "for his country’s recent provocative actions against Azerbaijan."

Relations between Baku and Tehran became strained after an armed attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Iran this January, when the embassy’s chief security officer was killed and two more security officers were wounded. Following the incident, the embassy suspended its operation and its employees and their families were evacuated to Azerbaijan.

Baku also views Tehran’s military drills near the border with Azerbaijan as an unfriendly step. Apart from that, Baku claims that Tehran was behind the late March attempt on the life of Azerbaijani lawmaker Fazil Mustafa. Several people have been detained in recent months in Azerbaijan on charges of spying for Iran.