Iran’s ambassador to Armenia, Mehdi Sobhani, in an extensive interview with “Azadliq” radio (Radio Free) , consistently avoided addressing the Armenian journalist’s persistent questions about Iran’s stance in the event of Azerbaijan’s military intervention.

The journalist even claimed that some parts of Armenia are allegedly under Azerbaijan’s control and tried to use occasional border clashes to counter Sobhani’s argument that there is no reason for war. However, Sobhani did not provide the “desired answer.”

We present the relevant part of the interview:

  • You say that Azerbaijan will not commit military aggression! Where do you get this confidence? You say it’s hypothetical, but the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently did not rule out that Baku would resort to military aggression after the COP29 event in Baku in November. And I want to note that currently, Azerbaijan occupies the territories of Western Zangezur, Sotk, and Jermuk in Armenia (the Armenian journalist refers to the heights on the conditional border as “occupation” – editor).
  • Listen, there are two issues to consider here: those localized clashes or ceasefire violations are separate, and war is separate – these are different. The issue of part of Armenia’s territory being under Azerbaijan’s control should naturally be resolved through negotiations and border clarification. When the demarcation of this part according to international borders is determined, those areas will be returned.
  • Do you mean the transfer of four villages to Azerbaijan?
  • Yes. When international borders are determined, it will naturally become clear which part belongs to which country. We have good relations with both Azerbaijan and Armenia, and we are making efforts to ensure that there is no new war using these good relations. Diplomacy is the best way to solve problems. Why should we wait for a war and then start diplomacy? We are ready to use all our potential to resolve problems peacefully. We say this as a country that can suffer from instability and benefit from stability.
  • Just to clarify: if we see military aggression from Baku, will we see steps from Iran?
  • This is Armenia, an independent country, it has national sovereignty, it has territorial integrity, and any action of another country in this country should be carried out with the consent of that country. How Iran develops its cooperation with Armenia depends on the cooperation of the two countries.