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Marrakech – Barely a week into the Middle East war, the conflict is no longer contained. It is spreading across borders, pulling in new countries and opening new fronts far from where the first missiles fell. Iran’s retaliation against the US-Israeli military campaign has now spilled into the South Caucasus, the Arabian Gulf, and beyond.
In a phone call on Friday, Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita strongly condemned Iranian drone strikes on Azerbaijani territory, expressing concern and solidarity with Baku.
Bourita spoke with his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov, who briefed him on the Thursday attack targeting the Nakhchivan exclave. The two ministers also discussed other issues of mutual interest.
Four Iranian drones crossed into Nakhchivan, an isolated Azerbaijani territory bordering Iran, Turkey, and Armenia. One struck the international airport terminal directly. Another exploded near a school, injuring civilians. A third was shot down. The strikes injured four civilians and damaged critical infrastructure.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev called the attack an “act of terror” and demanded an explanation and apology from Tehran. He went further on Friday, announcing the withdrawal of diplomatic staff from Azerbaijan’s embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Tabriz. State media reported the military had been placed on maximum combat readiness.
The war has reopened old wounds
Aliyev also made a provocative statement, calling Azerbaijan “a place of hope” for ethnic Azerbaijanis living in Iran. Iran is home to an estimated 20-25 million ethnic Azeris, its largest minority group, concentrated along the northern border. Tehran views any notion of cross-border Azerbaijani identity as a direct threat to internal unity.
Iran denied responsibility for the drone strikes and suggested the attack may have been an Israeli false-flag operation.
The same day, Azerbaijan’s State Security Service announced it had foiled Iranian-linked terror plots targeting four sites: the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, the Israeli Embassy, a leader of the Mizrahi Jewish community, and the Ashkenazi synagogue.
Authorities found over 7.7 kilograms of C-4 explosives and a remote-controlled bomb with a 250-300 meter blast radius. Several individuals were detained and sentenced, while a SEPAH officer, Colonel Ali Asgar Bordbar Sherami, was identified as a key organizer.
Qatar and the UAE also announced they had dismantled alleged cells of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards operatives preparing attacks on their territories.
Morocco’s condemnation of the Nakhchivan strikes follows its earlier response to the broader conflict. As early as last Saturday, when the US and Israel launched “major combat operations” against Iran, Rabat issued a firm condemnation of what it called “abject” Iranian missile strikes targeting five Arab Gulf states.
Morocco declared “full solidarity” with the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan, backing all measures they take to defend their security.
Rabat severed diplomatic ties with Tehran in May 2018, accusing Iran and Hezbollah of supporting, training, and arming the Polisario Front separatist group through the Iranian embassy in Algiers.
Tensions between Iran and Azerbaijan have deep roots. Tehran resents Baku’s close defense ties with Israel, while Azerbaijan has long opposed Iran’s political and military support for Armenia.
The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which carries over a million barrels of oil daily to global markets bypassing Russian and Iranian territory, remains a significant potential target amid the escalation.
