Baku, Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan sent humanitarian aid to Iran on Tuesday, in a move described as an apparent gesture of de-escalation after tensions rose over drone strikes in the Nakhchivan exclave.
The aid followed recent exchanges between President Ilham Aliyev and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, as both sides addressed the incident and broader bilateral issues.
Humanitarian shipment dispatched
Under instructions from Aliyev, Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations dispatched 10 tonnes of flour, six tonnes of rice, 2.4 tonnes of sugar, more than four tonnes of drinking water, around 600 kilogrammes of tea, and approximately two tonnes of medicines and medical supplies.
The ministry said the aid was sent following a telephone call on 8 March between Aliyev and Pezeshkian.
Drone strike incident and responses
The shipment came after Iranian drones struck an airport and exploded near a school in Nakhchivan last week, wounding four people.
Baku, a close partner of Israel, accused Tehran of “terrorism.” Aliyev ordered the armed forces to prepare retaliatory measures and placed them on their highest level of readiness, while diplomats were withdrawn from the country.
Iran’s military denied launching the drones and accused Israel, Azerbaijan’s key arms supplier, of staging a provocation.
Leaders’ call and investigation pledge
Aliyev’s office said Pezeshkian called on Sunday and promised to investigate the drone strike, insisting it “had nothing to do with Iran.”
Aliyev emphasised the importance of investigating the incident, and the two leaders exchanged views on the prospects for developing joint economic projects, according to the statement.
Wider context in Azerbaijan-Iran relations
Iran has long accused Israel of using Azerbaijani territory for operations against it. In June 2025, Baku assured Tehran it would not allow its territory to be used for attacks on Iran, following a large-scale Israeli strike on Iranian targets.
Tehran has also historically been wary of separatist sentiment among the approximately 10 million ethnic Azeris living in Iran.
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