ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iran on Monday denied claims that it had targeted Azerbaijan, Cyprus, or Turkey, saying the launches did not originate from their territory and “there is a malicious regime in the region” with a long track of “sabotage operations.”

Iran’s retaliatory campaign in the wake of the US-Israeli strikes on the country since February 28 has targeted several countries in the region.

Turkey has announced the interception of ballistic munitions in its airspace, allegedly originating from Iran, by NATO air and missile defense assets on two separate occasions, including on Monday.

On March 2, a drone strike targeted the UK’s Royal Air Force Akrotiri base in Cyprus. The Cypriot president claimed that the attack was carried out by a “Shahed-type unmanned aircraft,” without directly accusing Iran.

Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan autonomous exclave on Thursday was targeted by several drone strikes, with one hitting the airport and another falling near a school. The strikes injured two civilians and damaged the airport.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev dubbed the attack “a terrorist act… committed by Iran,” demanding an official explanation and apology.

“Regarding the Republic of Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Cyprus that you mentioned, the General Staff of the Armed Forces has explicitly stated that no such projectiles were launched from within Iran or by our military forces. In the case of Cyprus, even British officials confirmed that no such incident occurred,” foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said. 

The UK defense ministry on Wednesday said they had confirmed that the attack on RAF Akrotiri “was not launched from Iran.”

“We have repeatedly warned about ‘false flag’ operations. Let us not forget that there is a malicious regime in the region with a long track record of such sabotage operations,” he added. 

The war has also caused oil prices to spike, with Iran closing off the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier on Monday, US President Donald Trump said the surge in oil prices is “a small price to pay” for “safety and peace.”

During an interview with Fox News, US Senator Lindsey Graham described the US-Israel war on Iran as “a good investment,” saying that Venezuela and Iran have 31 percent of the world’s oil reserves, which the US would have a partnership with if it succeeds in its military operations.

Baghaei cited Graham’s comments as proving that there is “no ambiguity” about the US’ intentions behind its military offensive against Iran, implying that the aim is to seize Iran’s natural resources, and that the attacks are “not for our [Iranian] people, not for the international community, and not for the people of the region.

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf on Monday said the economic impact of the war “will be vast and long-lasting,” suggesting that oil prices “may remain in the triple digits for an extended period.”