'US Interest, Israeli Spy Base': Why Iran Attacked Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Exclave Airport
Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan: Opening another front amid the ongoing retaliatory attack by Iran against the US and Israeli offensives, the Islamic Republic today, Thursday, carried out a drone strike on Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan Exclave Airport.
The drone hit the airport, injuring several people and inflicting damage to the facility. Amid the conflict, many wonder why Iran target Azerbaijan in its retaliation against the US-Israeli aggression.
Notably, Iran has been accusing the ruling Azerbaijan government of turning the country into an Israeli spy base for long. Iran has been accusing Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev of undermining Iran’s security from its northern border. Iran has warned Azerbaijan several times that if they did not stop, the country will come under attack, Al Jazeera reported.
Further, Azerbaijan’s enclave, which was hit by the Iranian drone, is allegedly increasingly linked to US interests through regional transit developments.
Nakhchivan enclave is part of a historic US-brokered peace deal signed last year between former foes Armenia and Azerbaijan. The proposed land corridor, dubbed the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP), gave the US development rights for the planned route connecting Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave.
Notably, Iran has been opposing the transit route, fearing isolation from Armenia and the rest of the Caucasus. The Islamic Republic was also concerned about the potentially hostile foreign forces close to its borders.
