Azerbaijan foils Iranian plot to attack major pipeline

Azerbaijan has foiled several “terrorist” acts of sabotage planned by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including a plan to attack a major oil pipeline running from the South Caucasus to Türkiye, the security service said.

The targets included the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline, the Israeli embassy in Azerbaijan, an Ashkenazi synagogue and the leader of an ancient Jewish community in Azerbaijan called the Mountain Jews, according to a State Security Service statement cited by the Azertag state news agency late Friday.

Iran did not make any comment regarding this statement.

The BTC pipeline sends oil to Europe via Georgia and Türkiye and also accounts for about a third of Israel’s oil imports.

As the war in the Middle East enters its second week, any damage to its infrastructure could push global energy prices even higher.

Azerbaijan’s statement came just a day after Baku vowed to retaliate after four Iranian drones attacked a residential area in Nakhchivan, injuring four people and damaging airport infrastructure.

Iran has publicly denied sending drones to Azerbaijan.

Baku said that the investigation revealed that two Iranian citizens and one Azerbaijani citizen secretly agreed to bring more than seven kilograms of C-4 explosives to Azerbaijan on the instructions of the Revolutionary Guards.

Authorities issued international arrest warrants for four people.

Azerbaijan on Friday ordered the evacuation of its diplomats from Iran, citing security concerns at a time when relations between the two countries are already tense due to Baku’s ties with Israel and Türkiye.