Iran Pledges Continued Diplomacy To Repair Relations With Azerbaijan

Iran’s Foreign Ministry affirmed its commitment on Monday to restore its strained relations with Azerbaijan. The statement, made by ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani at a press conference in Tehran, follows a recent phone call between Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhun Bayramov.

Kanaani acknowledged progress in addressing some longstanding issues, claiming “good” steps have been taken toward resolving them. He further emphasized that Iran and Azerbaijan have the ability to solve their bilateral issues without third-party interference.

Bayramov responded positively, commending Amir-Abdollahian’s “constructive efforts” toward mitigating the tensions. He expressed hope for the further expansion of bilateral ties once a number of outstanding issues are resolved.

Iran-Azerbaijan relations have been under strain due to Azerbaijan’s strengthening ties with Israel, among other causes. An armed attack on Azerbaijan’s embassy in Tehran in January, labeled an “act of terror” by Baku, added significantly to the tension. , Tehran maintained that the attack stemmed from “personal and family-related” motivations of the assailant. Escalating diplomatic hostility led Iran to expel four Azerbaijani diplomats in May as a retaliatory measure to Azerbaijan’s expulsion of four Iranian diplomats the previous month.