Iran tries to deescalate conflict between Armenia, Azerbaijan
Iran has called for calm following the increase in tension between its northwestern neighbors Armenia and Azerbaijan.
In a phone conversation with his counterparts, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tried to calm tensions on the country’s northwestern border between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
In separate phone calls with Armenia’s Foreign Minister Armen Sarkissian Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov Maharram, Zarif called for calm and offered Iran’s help in deescalating tensions between the two countries. The two sides have been fighting once again in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, with each side accusing the other of reigniting tensions in the region.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh warned “the region cannot tolerate more violence.” He said Iran has called for an immediate cease-fire, and he encouraged negotiations between the two sides, adding that Iran will offer assistance in facilitating dialogue. "A military solution is not a durable solution for this decadeslong conflict,” he said.
Ghasem Rezaei, deputy commander of the Law Enforcement Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran, said Iran has been in communication with the border guards of both countries after mortar fire landed inside Iran’s borders. Rezaei said Iran has warned both sides about the escalating tensions and encouraged them to solve the crisis through dialogue.
