Officials in Azerbaijan announced Friday they successfully disrupted multiple terrorist operations allegedly orchestrated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including schemes to strike a critical oil pipeline and Jewish community locations.
According to Azerbaijan’s State Security Service, as reported by the government-run Azertag news agency, the planned attacks targeted the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, Israel’s embassy in the country, a synagogue serving the Ashkenazi community, and a prominent figure from Azerbaijan’s Mountain Jews, an ancient Jewish population.
Iranian officials have yet to respond to these allegations.
The threatened BTC pipeline carries oil through Georgia and Turkey to European markets and provides approximately one-third of Israel’s petroleum imports. Any successful attack on this infrastructure could significantly increase global energy costs as Middle Eastern conflicts continue into their second week.
This announcement follows Azerbaijan’s Thursday pledge to respond to what it described as an Iranian drone attack on its Nakhchivan territory, which reportedly wounded four individuals and damaged airport facilities. Tehran has categorically rejected claims it launched the drone strike.
Azerbaijani investigators determined that two Iranian nationals and one Azerbaijani citizen worked together to smuggle more than seven kilograms of C-4 explosives into the country under IRGC direction. International arrest warrants have been issued for four suspects.
On Friday, Azerbaijan withdrew its diplomatic personnel from Iran due to security concerns, further straining relations between the nations that have been complicated by Baku’s partnerships with Israel and Turkey.
