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Pezeshkian ‘urges' Aliyev to investigate if Israel used Azerbaijani territory to attack Iran
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Azerbaijan, Iran, Israel, Azerbaijan-Iran relations, Azerbaijan-Israel relations
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has 'urged' his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev to investigate if Israel used Azerbaijani territory to launch attacks on Iran.
According to an official Iranian statement, Pezeshkian and Aliyev spoke on the phone on Thursday, during which Pezeshkian 'called for the investigation and verification of reports suggesting that [Israeli] drones and micro air vehicles may have utilised Azerbaijan's airspace to carry out attacks in Iran'.
Nonetheless, the Iranian readout of the call said that Pezeshkian fell short of outright accusing Azerbaijan, and also added several conciliatory messages towards Baku, including that Pezeshkian had 'thanked the Azerbaijani government and nation for their support and solidarity with Iran during the aggression by [Israel]'.
In turn, according to the Iranian statement, Aliyev 'expressed regret over [Israel's] aggression', and 'unequivocally condemned the strikes and reaffirmed that it will not permit its airspace to be exploited against [Iran], adding that Azerbaijan maintains full control and sovereignty over its skies'.
Aliyev also 'denied rumors about the Israeli regime's use of Azerbaijan's airspace for attacking Iran, stating that the Azerbaijani government absolutely does not allow its skies to be used against friendly and brotherly neighbour', the Iranian statement continued.
The official Azerbaijani statement on the phone call was markedly different in content, with no mention of Pezeshkian's calls for Baku to investigate.
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'President Ilham Aliyev reiterated Azerbaijan's position regarding the recent confrontation between Iran and Israel and voiced the country's concern over rising tensions in the region', the statement read.
'The Azerbaijani leader congratulated President Pezeshkian on achieving a ceasefire and halting the Iran-Israel confrontation, underlining the importance of peace and stability for the region. President Pezeshkian expressed his gratitude for the condolences', the statement continued, with the rest of it containing pleasantries about the need for ongoing bilateral cooperation.
Pezeshkian's calls to investigate were the most explicit comments on the swirling accusations coming from Iran in recent weeks following the unprecedented escalation between Iran and Israel, which saw both sides exchanging missile fire.
Given the nature of the Israeli attacks, and the apparent presence of Israeli security forces within Iran before the beginning of the strikes, many have speculated that Azerbaijan may have been involved, particularly given Baku's close relations with Tel Aviv.
As the accusations mounted, Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmat Hajiyev took to Twitter, calling them 'entirely unfounded and fabricated'.
