The South Caucasus News - SouthCaucasusNews.com

Dmitry Melnik, Director of the International Cooperation Department of Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations, expressed gratitude to Azerbaijan for its assistance in rapidly delivering humanitarian aid from Russia to Iran, AzerNEWS reports.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi (pictured) said on Friday that International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi has not done anything “useful” about the conflict in Iran, but only made the situation “worse” with his “destructive statements from time to time”, AzerNEWS reports.

In January-February of this year, the value of goods sold and services provided to meet consumer needs in Azerbaijan amounted to 13 billion manat (≈ $7.67 billion), AzerNEWS reports citing the State Statistics Committee.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned of “strict measures” against the passage of vessels linked to Israel and the United States through the Strait of Hormuz, AzerNEWS reports, citing Iranian media outlets.

The intensifying confrontation between Iran, Israel and the United States is no longer confined to the Middle East. Its shockwaves are being felt across the South Caucasus, a region that has quietly assumed the role of a strategic buffer between competing power centres. Because for countries such as Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia, the risks are no longer theoretical. They are rather structural, immediate and increasingly difficult to hedge.