Iran Draws Up Plan to Settle Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

Speaking at a weekly press conference on Monday, Saeed Khatibzadeh said Iran has formulated a plan within the framework of the principles that it has maintained since the outbreak of fighting between its neighbors.

Highlighting Iran’s good relations with both parties involved in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, he said Tehran has tried to stay in contact with Baku, Yerevan, and other regional actors to end the war.

There is no military solution to the decades-old dispute between Baku and Yerevan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, he added, stressing that the two sides must stop armed clashes immediately and begin scheduled political talks.

“We hope that both sides would refrain from continuing the war and violence,” he added.

The spokesman noted that Iran is monitoring the developments near its northwestern border carefully and sensitively, adding, “Iran cannot tolerate clashes near its border, particularly violation of its border.”

Khatibzadeh also stressed that Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity should be respected and the occupied territories should be evacuated following a flare-up of tensions in the disputed region.

Iran has made it clear that the fundamental principle in the conflict is that civilians should be protected, the spokesman underlined, saying it is unacceptable for Tehran to see any harm to ordinary people in the war.

He called for collective efforts to end the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have exchanged heavy rocket and artillery fire, with each side accusing the other of targeting civilian areas as the fighting over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh intensified.

Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry said on Sunday one civilian was killed and four wounded in an Armenian rocket attack on its second city of Ganja, and Baku threatened to retaliate by destroying military targets inside Armenia.