Azerbaijan said it uncovered an Iranian plot to sabotage several high-profile targets, including a major oil pipeline that carries crude from the Caspian Sea to Turkey and onward to global markets.
Azerbaijani authorities said the plan was organized by operatives linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and described the alleged scheme as a series of "terrorist" attacks aimed at critical infrastructure and Jewish sites across the South Caucasus country of 10 million.
According to a statement from Azerbaijan's State Security Service, which was cited by the state news agency Azertag late on March 6, the intended targets included the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, the Israeli Embassy in Azerbaijan, an Ashkenazi synagogue, and a prominent member of the country's Mountain Jewish community.
The alleged plot underscores how tensions between Baku and Tehran have escalated as the war in Iran has rippled across the Middle East and the wider region. In recent days, Azerbaijan and Iran have traded sharp accusations over drone attacks, security threats, and alleged sabotage plots that have pushed already strained relations between the neighbors to one of their lowest points in years.
Iran hasn't publicly responded to the allegations.
Any disruption to the pipeline could further tighten global energy supplies as the conflict continues.
Tehran has threatened to "set ablaze" any Western tanker attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which provides a vital trade route for about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas. At least nine vessels have been attacked since US-Israeli strikes began, according to Lloyd’s List, a maritime intelligence firm.
The BTC pipeline runs through Georgia and Turkey and transports Caspian crude to Mediterranean export terminals, supplying European markets. The route also accounts for roughly a third of Israel's oil imports.
The Azerbaijani announcement came a day after Baku accused Iran of sending drones into its western exclave of Nakhchivan, an incident officials said wounded four people and damaged infrastructure at the local airport. Tehran denied responsibility for the drones.
Investigators said two Iranian citizens and one Azerbaijani national had worked together to smuggle more than 7 kilograms of C-4 explosives into the country under instructions from the IRGC.
Azerbaijani authorities said they have issued international arrest warrants for four suspects linked to the alleged operation.
