ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Azerbaijan on Thursday strongly condemned what it alleged were Iranian drone strikes on its autonomous Nakhchivan exclave as “a heinous terrorist act,” while Tehran has denied responsibility and accused Israel of the attacks.

At noon, Nakhchivan suffered two drone strikes, with one striking the airport and another falling near a school, according to the foreign ministry. The strikes injured two civilians and damaged the airport.

“The State of Azerbaijan strongly condemns this heinous terrorist act. Those responsible must be brought to justice without delay. The Iranian side must provide an official explanation to Azerbaijan, issue an apology, and ensure that the perpetrators are held criminally accountable,” Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in a statement.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denied responsibility in a phone call with his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov later the same day. 

During the call, Araghchi “denied any projectile firing towards that republic from Iran and said the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran are conducting necessary investigations and examinations in this regard,” according to Iranian state media.

He further blamed Israel for using “such attacks to divert public opinion and damage Iran's good relations with its neighbors, noting that other similar instances have been observed in recent days.”

The attack came amid a broader regional conflict, after Iran began a retaliatory campaign across the region following large-scale US and Israeli attacks that resulted in the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in addition to several other top Iranian officials.

Iran has since targeted regional states that house US military bases; however, Azerbaijan does not officially host any American troops.

Turkey, which was also targeted by a drone a day earlier, according to the defense ministry, also strongly condemned the attack on Azerbaijan.

“We once again emphasize that attacks targeting third countries in the region, which increase the risk of the war spreading, must be stopped immediately,” the foreign ministry said on Thursday. “As always, Turkey will continue to stand by Azerbaijan.”

Baku and Tehran have generally enjoyed cordially relations, with Iran having a large Azerbaijani ethnic minority in the country's northwest and many Iranian officials, including the late Khamenei and current President Masoud Pezeshkian, being of partial or full Azerbaijani descent.