Azerbaijan expressed support for Iran amid threats from the United States.

Amid worsening relations between Iran and the United States, negotiations are underway between the authorities of Azerbaijan and Iran. Baku has declared its refusal to use its territory to attack its neighbor, while Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has expressed his readiness to help ease tensions.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," the Azerbaijani authorities are interested in weakening the regime in Tehran, but fear a spread to Azerbaijan of the mass protests that began in Iran in late 2025. At the same time, analysts noted that the situation of Iranian Azerbaijanis will not significantly improve either with the regime in Tehran or with regime change.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev called Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on January 31, the Azerbaijani presidential press service reported.

"The head of our state, expressing concern about the situation in the region, declared Azerbaijan's readiness to contribute to resolving tensions and emphasized that our country is a supporter of resolving such issues through negotiations and mutual understanding. President Masoud Pezeshkian, for his part, expressed gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev," the statement said.

Azerbaijan will never allow its territory or airspace to be used to launch attacks against Iran, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said the day before in a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi.

The Republic of Azerbaijan will never allow its airspace or territory to be used by any state to conduct military operations against Iran or any other country.

"On January 29, a telephone conversation took place between Jeyhun Bayramov and Abbas Araghchi. It was especially emphasized that the Republic of Azerbaijan will never allow its airspace or territory to be used by any state to conduct military operations against Iran or any other country." - the press service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Bayramov emphasized that Baku's position is principled and unchangeable. According to him, the Azerbaijani side consistently opposes steps and rhetoric that could lead to destabilization of the situation in and around Iran.

Azerbaijani Presidential Aide Hikmet Hajiyev said that the Azerbaijani and Iranian authorities have held talks in recent days regarding a possible US attack on Iran. At the same time, despite Azerbaijan's concerns about tensions in the region, Baku has not held talks with official Washington on the situation in Iran.

"We are not discussing this issue with the United States, and they have never approached us to discuss this topic," Oxu.Az quoted him as saying on January 28.

The statements by Azerbaijani politicians were voiced against the backdrop of threats from the US President.

On January 28, US President Donald Trump said the US military is prepared to strike Iran more forcefully than last summer if Tehran fails to reach an agreement with Washington on its nuclear program. "I hope Iran comes to the negotiating table quickly and negotiates a fair deal – no nukes. That would be good for all parties. Time is running out. This is truly of the utmost importance!" Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Our next attack will be much worse. Don't let that happen again," he stressed.

US President Donald Trump has been presented with an expanded list of potential military measures against Iran, including the possibility of raids on Iranian facilities, The New York Times reports, citing US officials.

According to the publication, the Pentagon's new options go beyond previously discussed scenarios and are aimed at damaging Iran's nuclear and missile programs, as well as weakening its supreme leader. Trump has not yet authorized military action and continues to explore diplomatic options, but he is demanding that Tehran completely abandon its nuclear ambitions.

Trump has asked his aides to develop quick attack scenarios on Iran that would not lead to a protracted war, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed confidence that Iran, amid prolonged protests, is weaker than ever.

Iran is "probably weaker than ever," Rubio told Congress on January 28. He expressed the opinion that the Iranian authorities are unable to satisfy the protesters' main grievances and resolve their key problems, since the republic's economy is "in a state of collapse," and the protests, which have ceased, could flare up again, US News reported on January 28.

Protests in Iran began on December 28, 2025, due to the worsening economic situation. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi confirmed the deaths of 3,117 Iranians as a result of recent unrest in the country. "The death toll includes 2,427 civilians and members of Iran's security forces, and 690 terrorists," Araqchi wrote on January 23 on the X social network. According to the Iranian Foreign Minister, damage from the unrest has been caused to 750 bank buildings, 600 ATMs, 700 stores, 200 schools, and 350 mosques were damaged. 300 residential buildings, 414 government buildings, 749 police stations, 24 gas stations, and 800 cars were damaged. According to authorities, the situation has returned to normal in recent days.

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