Iranian official media reported on Saturday that Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov discussed "problems and misunderstandings" between the two countries during phone calls, following Baku's expulsion of four Iranian diplomats due to "provocative actions." Both parties emphasized "the importance of good neighborliness and mutual respect for each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
During the dispute, Azerbaijan indicated that "Iran was connected to an assassination attempt on an Azerbaijani legislator opposed to it," while Iran sharply criticized Baku for its closeness to Israel, with the Foreign Ministry stating that it views the relationship between Azerbaijan and Israel as "hostile to Iran." It is noteworthy that there is a large Azerbaijani population in northwestern Iran.
