Azerbaijan bans Iranian media outlets from operating in its territory: 'They are conducting propaganda against us'

Azerbaijan has banned two Iranian media outlets from operating in its territory, in response to Iran's closure of the Azerbaijani state channel. The government in Baku accused the Iranian media of conducting propaganda against its sovereignty and security.

Azerbaijan announced on Wednesday a ban on the activities of two Iranian media outlets in its territory: the Sahar TV channel and the Mehr news agency. The move comes in response to a decision by the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence, which banned the Azerbaijani state channel and designated it as a hostile media organization. The Media Development Agency in Baku stated that the Iranian media 'are conducting propaganda against the sovereignty of the state, the constitutional order, territorial integrity, and national security.' The decision comes amid a CNN report last month that Israel secretly deployed elite units in Azerbaijan during the war with Iran, as part of a network of secret sites across the Middle East. According to the report, the forces operated from bases in southern Azerbaijan, near the border with Iran, about 96 kilometers from Tabriz.

Azerbaijan bans Iranian media outlets from operating in its territory: 'They are conducting propaganda against us'