Baku Expels Iranian Embassy Staff

Four staff members of the Iranian Embassy in Azerbaijan have been declared "persona non grata" (unwelcome persons), Trend agency reports on Thursday, citing the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

On April 6, Seyyed Abbas Mousavi, the Iranian Ambassador to Azerbaijan, was summoned to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. During the meeting, the Azerbaijani side expressed strong dissatisfaction regarding Iran's provocative actions against Azerbaijan.

The Iranian ambassador was informed that four embassy staff members had been declared "persona non grata" by the Azerbaijani government for activities incompatible with their diplomatic status and contrary to the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. These individuals must leave Azerbaijani territory within 48 hours.

It is noteworthy that relations between the two countries have been considerably strained in recent times.