Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kana'ani deplored the unfriendly remarks made by Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, and urged Baku to refrain from hostile measures and comments which could led to diplomatic tensions between the two countries, Fars News Agency reports.
Kana'ani told reporters on Monday that Tehran has clearly expressed its views on relations with Baku, stressing, "The relations between the two nations are unbreakable and have deep cultural and historical roots."
The spokesperson called on Azerbaijan to avoid taking actions or adopting positions that are not in the interests of the two countries and serve the interests of the parties who seek to create tension and crisis in Tehran-Baku ties.
The senior diplomat went on to say that Tehran is willing to resolve the dispute with Bakue through diplomacy.
Kana'ani pointed to the expulsion of four Azeri diplomats by Iran, stating that Tehran made the move in response to the unconstructive decision of Baku to expel four Iranian diplomats from the country.
Azerbaijan’s relations with Iran were strained in January following a deadly attack on the Baku’s Embassy in Tehran.
A gunman attacked the Azerbaijan Embassy in Iran in late January, killing a security guard and wounding two more. Police in Tehran announced they have arrested the assailant. The attacker has claimed that his wife visited Azerbaijan’s embassy in April 2022 and never returned, leaving him frustrated.
Following the incident, Tehran’s Police Chief Hossein Rahimi stated a preliminary investigation pointed to “family problems” as the motive behind the fatal shooting, but Azerbaijani officials called it a “terrorist act".
Iranian officials have stressed that the enemies of the two countries should not be allowed to take advantage of the incident which Tehran announced was not an act of terrorism. They urged Azerbaijani officials to refrain from prejudgments and politicization of the deadly raid and avoid making a decision out of emotion following the raid.
In spite of Iran’s every effort to clear the air, President Aliyev ordered the evacuation of the embassy, and noted that normalization of relations between the two countries depends on a transparent investigation that will bring the perpetrators of the attack to justice.
In early April, Azerbaijan also announced it has declared four Iranian embassy employees persona non grata, claiming the diplomats conducted "provocative actions" in the latest deterioration of relations between the two neighbors. The move came hours after Baku confirmed it has arrested six men, who it claimed were linked to Iranian secret services and were plotting a coup in the Caspian nation.
In response, Iran expelled four Azerbaijani diplomats. They were working at Azerbaijan’s Embassy in Tehran and its consulate in the Northwestern city of Tabriz.
