Turkey condemns drone attack on Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan; Iran denies involvement

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry issued a strong condemnation of the drone attack that struck Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan exclave and urged third countries not to become targets in the conflict. ‘We again emphasise the need to halt attacks targeting third countries in this region and which risk spreading the war,’ the ministry said after a telephone call between Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov. Azerbaijani authorities said two Iranian drones landed in Nakhchivan, with one strike hitting the airport building; President Ilham Aliyev vowed retaliatory action. Iran’s armed forces denied involvement in the attack. Iranian missiles and drones have reportedly targeted regional hubs in the Gulf, including Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Manama, as well as parts of Saudi Arabia. Iran has closed the door to dialogue and rejected mediation efforts to ease tensions in the Middle East. Azerbaijan reported a separate strike at Nakhchivan International Airport by an Iranian drone that injured two people, and Baku vowed revenge. The attack also sparked a fire at Al Salam base in Abu Dhabi, which houses French troops; the UAE said there were no casualties.