On Friday, IRNA, Iran’s news agency, reported that last month, diplomats working at Azerbaijan’s embassy in Tehran and its consulate in the northwestern city of Tabriz were declared persona non grata.
The measure, which took effect in April, was implemented in response to Baku’s decision in the previous month to expel four Iranian embassy employees due to their “provocative actions”, according to the news agency.
Shortly, Baku announced its decision to arrest six men, who were believed to be connected to Iranian secret services and had planned a coup in the Caspian nation.
Iran criticized Azerbaijan’s move as “extreme and unhelpful”, and promised to retaliate.
Nasser Kan’ani, a Spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, declared that this action goes against the principles of being a good neighbor and is in line with the Israeli regime’s strategy to create conflicts between Muslim countries.
On Friday, the foreign ministry of Azerbaijan confirmed that, in early April, Iran had declared four Azerbaijani diplomats to be persona non grata.
In January, Azerbaijan’s relations with Iran were strained due to an attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran, resulting in the death of a security guard.
Following a “terrorist act,” Azerbaijan shut down its diplomatic mission and relocated its personnel. President Ilham Aliyev accused the “Iranian establishment” of being responsible for the incident.
An initial investigation indicated that the assailant’s motive was due to “personal and family-related issues”.
The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as Azerbaijan’s improved relations with Israel, are sources of tension between Iran and Azerbaijan.
In late March, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen announced that Israel had reached an agreement with Azerbaijan to form a joint effort against Iran. This was accompanied by the opening of the Azerbaijani embassy in Tel Aviv.
