As tensions continued between Tehran and the Baku, the secretary of Iran’s security council tweeted that his country has never been a threat to its neighbors.
Ali Shamkhani wrote on Saturday, “Iran in its power and greatness has always been the well-wisher of its neighbors and has never posed a threat to them.”
In recent days tensions have spiked between the two largely Shiite countries as Azerbaijan held military drills with Turkey and Pakistan and detained Iranian truck drivers crossing into Armenian territories near Nagorno Karabakh.
Iran’s military launched its own drills on Friday, massing large numbers of troops and military hardware at its northwestern border. Iranian politicians have been making anti-Baku statements and warning President Ilham Aliyev “not to play with the lion’s tail”.
Shamkhani further said, “Problems will be solved with cooperation and sympathy among regional countries. Any influence by outsiders will bear no fruit except mischief and discord. We call on neighbors to be prudent and keep their distance from them.”
Iran has been accusing Azerbaijan of allowing Israel to establish a presence on its territory.