Aliyev said on Thursday that those responsible must be held accountable after Nakhchivan was “subjected to cowardly fire”. Two people were injured in the drone strike in the exclave, which borders Iran and Türkiye.
“The Azerbaijani state strongly condemns this ugly terrorist act, and those who committed it must be immediately held accountable,” Aliyev said in a statement posted on the presidential website.
According to Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry, the incident occurred around noon (08:00 GMT) on Thursday. One drone struck the terminal building of the airport in Nakhchivan, while another fell near a school building in the village of Shakarabad.
Officials said the attack injured two civilians and caused damage at the airport. The ministry condemned what it described as drone strikes launched from Iranian territory and demanded a clear explanation from Tehran.
Azerbaijan also summoned Iran’s ambassador, Mojtaba Demirchilou, over the incident and said it reserved the right to take “appropriate response measures”.
Türkiye, a close ally of Azerbaijan, also condemned the strike. In a statement, Ankara warned against the expansion of the conflict to other countries and reaffirmed its support for Baku.
“We emphasise once again the need to stop attacks targeting third countries in the region and carrying the risk of spreading the war,” the statement said.
Iran, however, denied involvement. During a call with Azerbaijan’s foreign minister Jeyhun Bayramov, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was not responsible for the attack.
Araghchi suggested that Israel could be behind the incident, claiming the strike might have been intended to undermine relations between Iran and its neighbours.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi also rejected the allegations, saying Iran does not target neighbouring countries.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has not targeted the Republic of Azerbaijan,” he said, adding that Tehran’s military operations are directed only at enemy bases in the region used by the United States or Israel.
The attack has raised new concerns in the South Caucasus, particularly because Nakhchivan was part of a US-brokered peace agreement signed last year between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The deal included plans for a transport corridor, often referred to as the Zangezur Corridor, linking mainland Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan. Iran has long opposed the project, fearing it could weaken its access to Armenia and increase foreign military influence near its borders.
Regional tensions have intensified as the broader Middle East conflict spreads. Iranian drones have reportedly targeted several countries in the region, including a US military base near Baghdad International Airport in Iraq.
Meanwhile, Qatar said its air defence systems intercepted multiple missiles over the capital Doha, while Saudi Arabia reported shooting down a drone near the al-Jawf region.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the president of Türkiye, said his country was taking all necessary precautions in coordination with its NATO allies to prevent further escalation.
At the same time, fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has intensified in Lebanon, raising fears that the conflict could expand into a wider regional war.
