Event
4 drone strikes on Azerbaijan
On 5 March 2026, two one-way attack drones struck the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan, during the 2026 Iran war. Azerbaijan blamed the attack on Iran, and vowed a response. Iranian officials promised a full investigation into the incident, with both sides favoring a diplomatic solution to prevent further escalation.
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Text from the Wikipedia article “2026 Iranian or Israeli drone strikes on Azerbaijan”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
On 5 March 2026, two one-way attack drones struck the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan, during the 2026 Iran war. Azerbaijan blamed the attack on Iran, and vowed a response. Iranian officials promised a full investigation into the incident, with both sides favoring a diplomatic solution to prevent further escalation.
The drones crashed into Nakhchivan International Airport in Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan exclave. Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defense stated that four Iranian drones attacked Nakhchivan, one of which was neutralized by the Azerbaijani army while others targeted civilian infrastructure. One drone fell on the terminal building of Nakhchivan International Airport, while another landed near a school building in the village of Shakarabad, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, resulting in damage to the airport and injuries to four civilians. Azerbaijan summoned the Iranian ambassador and promised a military response.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran stated it had no involvement in the strike.
The Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan, Mojtaba Dermichilu, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to present a note of protest regarding the incident.
Construction work on Nakhchivan International Airport has been suspended. To ensure transport connections between Baku and Nakhchivan, flights have been scheduled from Baku to the Turkish city of Iğdir and vice versa, special buses have been arranged to transport passengers from Iğdir Airport to Nakhchivan and vice versa.
The Azerbaijani side announced a NOTAM and closed the country's southern airspace to flights due to operational conditions. The Cabinet of Ministers adopted a decision to temporarily suspend all truck traffic from all border crossing points between Azerbaijan and Iran. On 6 March 2026, the Azerbaijani Embassy in Tehran and the Consulate General in Tabriz were ordered to evacuate their staff.
A Telegram channel affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps described the targeted area as a place where "foreign officials" were planning an attack against Iran, calling it a warning for Azerbaijan.
On 8 March 2026, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held a phone call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, thanked him for condolences over casualties in Iran and for Azerbaijan’s intention to provide humanitarian aid to Iran. Pezeshkian denied Iranian involvement in the attack on Nakhchivan and said the incident would be investigated. Aliyev stressed the importance of investigating the incident.
On 9 March 2026, Azerbaijan reopened its border crossings with Iran for all cargo traffic. The next day, Azerbaijan delivered 30 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Iran.
On 17 March 2026, during a phone call with Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov urged Iran to complete its investigation into drone strikes targeting Nakhchivan.
On 18 March 2026, Azerbaijan sent a second 82-ton humanitarian aid shipment to Iran, including 76 tons of food, 4 tons of medicines, 2 tons of medical supplies, and Nowruz gifts.
On 12 April 2026, Azerbaijan reopened its embassy in Tehran with a limited number of diplomatic and administrative staff, including the ambassador.
Azerbaijan stated that it reserved the right to take retaliatory measures. Azerbaijan's president Ilham Aliyev accused Iran of terrorism and vowed retaliation, describing the perpetrators as "dishonorable people with ugly faces", especially angered by the fact the attack took place right after he had visited the Iranian Embassy in Baku to offer condolences. Aliyev further stated that Azerbaijan would not participate in operations against Iran; however, it would defend its territorial integrity against any hostile force.
Azerbaijan alleged that they foiled an IRGC plot to carry out "terrorist acts" in Azerbaijan.
The New Azerbaijan Party condemned the attack.
Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and Iranian diplomat Kazem Gharibabadi denied that Iran had attacked Azerbaijan. Araghchi suggested that it was an Israeli false flag operation to draw Azerbaijan into the conflict with Iran.
Text from the Wikipedia article “2026 Iranian strike on Azerbaijan”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.