Iran is growing increasingly concerned about the fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia and has continued to issue statements and escalating rhetoric.
Iran initially said it would be open to help mediate, but its anger has grown as it judges that Russia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan are not listening to Tehran’s counsel.
Iran now warns of a regional war as Syrian regime leader Bashar Assad accused Turkey of instigating the war and sending extremists to fight Armenia.
Iran’s government spokesman Ali Rabiei said on Tuesday that Iran was following the clashes on the other side of the border closely and that while Tehran supports Azerbaijan’s rights to “territorial integrity,” it does not believe military means are the right way to go. Iran wants the war to stop as soon as possible.
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani increased the rhetoric on Wednesday as Iranian media said that local armed clashes could become a “regional war” and that Iran is ready to help resolve the dispute. Iran says it wants to adhere to international law.
The dispute in Nagorno-Karabakh dates to the Soviet era. The area is inhabited by Armenians but is part of Azerbaijan.
In the 1990s Armenian forces came to control it and other areas of Azerbaijan and created a self-declared republic next to the Armenian republic.
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