According to the Persian edition of ISNA , citing the government news agency PAD, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held a phone conversation earlier today (Thursday) with Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
During the call, Pezeshkian referred to the Zionist regime’s aggression against Iran and stated: “We have never initiated any war and never will. It was the Zionist regime that violated international law and launched an attack on Iran. According to international regulations, even during wartime, attacking nuclear facilities is prohibited and considered a crime against humanity.”
Pezeshkian added, “In this war, our commanders, scientists, and innocent civilians were martyred. Many civilian and residential sites were bombed, yet even though the UN convened a session, it failed to condemn these arbitrary attacks and civilian massacres.”
He emphasized that these attacks occurred while Iran was engaged in negotiations, seeking to resolve issues through dialogue within international legal frameworks. “The U.S. representative in the negotiations told us that Israel would not act against Iran without Washington’s approval — a statement that proved false, as the Zionists attacked before the sixth round of talks began, leading to their suspension.”
Pezeshkian criticized U.S. double standards, stating: “America claimed to have no role in starting the war, yet on the eighth day it directly bombed our nuclear facilities. This forced us, against our will, to retaliate by targeting a U.S. base in the region — located in our friendly and brotherly country of Qatar. I clarified to the Emir of Qatar that our response was strictly against the American base and that the Islamic Republic of Iran does not and will not violate the territorial integrity of neighboring, friendly countries.”
The president reiterated Iran’s fundamental policy of peaceful and respectful interaction with its neighbors: “I’ve conveyed to regional leaders that the Islamic Republic of Iran seeks peace and stability, and respects all nations’ sovereignty. We are friends with the people of Azerbaijan, and our bonds with the Azerbaijani government and people are deep and unbreakable. I hope our cooperation and relations grow stronger so that our peoples engage more.”
Pezeshkian thanked the Azerbaijani government and people for their support and solidarity with Iran and requested an investigation and verification of reports that Israeli drones and micro-UAVs may have violated Iranian airspace via Azerbaijani territory.
In response, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan expressed regret over the Zionist regime’s aggressive attack on Iran and the resulting civilian deaths. He welcomed the ceasefire and expressed happiness over it.
Aliyev reaffirmed Azerbaijan’s respect for Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, saying: “From the beginning of the attacks, Azerbaijan condemned them through our foreign minister and emphasized that we would not allow our airspace to be used against Iran. We fully control our airspace.”
Aliyev rejected rumors that Israel had used Azerbaijani airspace to strike Iran and stressed: “The Azerbaijani government will never allow its airspace to be used against the friendly and brotherly nation of Iran.”
Reiterating his country’s will to enhance cooperation with Iran across all sectors, Aliyev said: “We seek deeper ties with Iran in economic, political, and security fields. As Russian officials involved in the North-South Corridor project will soon visit Baku, I invite you to send a delegation from Iran for a trilateral meeting on the matter.”
The Azerbaijani president also invited Pezeshkian to attend the upcoming ECO summit in Azerbaijan.
