Baku’s balanced policy under disinformation attack amid escalation in Middle East

As Israeli jets tore through Iranian airspace on the night of June 12–13, targeting facilities linked to the IRGC missile program in Isfahan and Bushehr, the Middle East lurched toward a frighteningly familiar abyss. Internet outages, partial mobilization in Iran, regional air defenses on high alert, and rhetoric out of Tel Aviv warning of “threats neutralized from a distance” made one thing clear: this was no ordinary exchange of warnings. For the first time in years, a direct confrontation between two regional powers had crossed the threshold.

This restraint has not gone unnoticed, nor has it been left unchallenged. Almost immediately after the Israeli operation targeting missile infrastructure in Isfahan and Bushehr, a digital disinformation campaign lit up the internet. Telegram channels with Russian and Armenian leanings circulated allegations that Azerbaijan had provided logistical support for the attacks. “Israeli planes took off from Fuzuli,” they claimed, presenting crudely altered maps, radar screenshots, and sensational claims unsupported by geolocation, satellite imagery, or common sense.

Let’s be clear: the distance from Fuzuli to Isfahan is over 800 kilometers. Israeli F-35s—equipped with advanced refueling capabilities—require no assistance from Azerbaijan to carry out such operations. Military analysts, including those at The Aviationist and Jane’s Defence, confirm that Azerbaijan played no role in the strike. No independent radar, including FlightRadar24 or the Israeli SkyLock system, registered any Azerbaijani military activity near Iran. And yet, the accusations persist.

Why is Azerbaijan being targeted in this information war? The answer lies in a blend of historical grievances, regional power dynamics, and geopolitical jealousy. Armenian political operatives, frustrated by Azerbaijan’s increasing regional relevance and military victories in Garabagh, have repeatedly tried to paint the country as an “Israeli proxy” in the Muslim world. In 2021, it was about drones. In 2023, “Israeli troops in Lachin.” Now, in 2025, fabricated tales of launching pads for bombers.

It is therefore not surprising that hybrid warfare tools—disinformation, fake video “testimonies,” and manipulated radar images—are being deployed to pressure Baku into reacting.

But Azerbaijan is not reacting emotionally. It is responding with diplomacy.

Rather than join the shouting match, Azerbaijan has doubled down on its neutral stance. The country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a clear and composed statement: it condemned the regional escalation, expressed condolences for Iranian lives lost, and called for a peaceful resolution based on international law. There were no finger-pointing games. No geopolitical posturing. Just a reaffirmation of Azerbaijan’s guiding principle: peace first.

This isn’t new. Even after Iran’s support for Armenian separatist factions and the 2023 terrorist attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran, Baku responded with measured diplomacy. Not a single missile was launched. Not a single soldier mobilized. Instead, Azerbaijan pursued its interests through legal channels and maintained its dialogue with Iran.

The irony is striking: while critics accuse Azerbaijan of being a pawn, it is one of the only truly independent players in the region.

Azerbaijan is one of the rare countries maintaining robust partnerships with both Israel and Iran. With Israel, cooperation is strategic: military modernization, agricultural innovation, and over $2.1 billion in trade in 2024. With Iran, relations are pragmatic and necessary, especially within the North-South Transport Corridor, where Azerbaijan has invested over $180 million in infrastructure to facilitate cross-border trade. The balancing act is not easy, but it is deliberate.

Azerbaijan refuses to allow any foreign military base on its soil. It has rejected membership in any military bloc aimed at third countries. Instead, it prefers bilateral defense cooperation with trusted allies like Türkiye and Pakistan—cooperation based on equality, not domination.

This independent posture is also essential to Azerbaijan’s broader strategic pivot: becoming a major Eurasian transport hub. The Trans-Caspian route, the Middle Corridor, and the North-South corridor all rely on a stable regional environment. War between Iran and Israel is not only a humanitarian catastrophe, but it threatens to derail Azerbaijan’s economic transformation.

TRACECA data reveals that over 3.8 million tons of transit cargo passed through Azerbaijan in the first quarter of 2025 alone. Investment, confidence, and logistics all depend on predictability. If Azerbaijan is dragged into someone else’s war, all of that could vanish overnight.

But while Azerbaijan steers clear of bombs and battlegrounds, it is very much on the front lines of a new kind of war: information warfare. At least 17 Telegram channels run by Armenian-linked networks have been dedicated to spreading narratives of “Zionist aggression,” “Iranian betrayal,” and “Azerbaijani revanchism.” These campaigns—conducted in Hebrew, Persian, Armenian, and Russian—are designed not just to confuse, but to provoke. The goal is simple: make Azerbaijan look guilty. Push it into a conflict. And if that fails, damage its image enough to isolate it diplomatically. Baku is not falling for the trap.

Institutions like the Media Development Agency have identified these narratives as “manipulative provocations” meant to destabilize interethnic and interstate relations. Azerbaijan’s airspace remains fully secure. Its borders are calm. Its military remains focused on national defense, not external adventures.

While others fuel chaos, Azerbaijan is facilitating solutions. It opened its borders to help foreign nationals—Kazakh and Russian citizens—flee Iran during the crisis. It coordinated with the Russian Embassy to evacuate 14 citizens and provided safe passage for dozens more.

On June 14, Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov held a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Seyyed Abbas Araghchi. Bayramov expressed condolences, reiterated Azerbaijan’s neutral stance, and emphasized that no third country, friendly or otherwise, should use Azerbaijani territory for hostile acts. He also noted Baku’s role in assisting with humanitarian transit due to Iran’s airspace closure.

Today, the Middle East is a powder keg. Syria is war-torn. Lebanon is fragile. Yemen is in chaos. Iran is angry. Israel is entrenched in a military posture. The U.S. is sending arms. Russia is exploiting the vacuum. China is quietly watching. And Azerbaijan? It is calm, composed, and neutral.

This neutrality is not cowardice—it is courage. It is hard to stand still when the world demands a side. It is harder still to hold onto your principles when every fake radar image and Telegram post demands otherwise.

Azerbaijan has shown that neutrality, when rooted in strategic clarity and backed by institutional strength, is not just possible—it is powerful.

Those trying to drag Azerbaijan into another war will fail. Not because they lack tools. But because Baku has what they don’t: vision, will, and the overwhelming support of its people. As much as Azerbaijan and almost every country in the region are concerned about this dispute, it is essential to approach the situation with care and diplomacy. In a world of narratives, Azerbaijan’s message is simple: “We are not part of this war. And we never will be.”

No manipulated map, no Telegram hysteria, no disinformation campaign can erase this reality. Because behind every calm statement and every diplomatic phone call lies the will of a people—and a state—that knows exactly what is at stake. The world would do well to pay attention.