Iran Denies Nakhchivan Attack as Nuclear-Powered U.S. Carrier Moves Into Red Sea and Lebanon Tensions Intensify

Iran on Saturday denied launching any projectiles toward Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, as the widening Middle East war continued to spill across multiple borders while major powers expanded their military posture in the region.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi held a phone call with his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov, during which he rejected allegations that Iranian forces had carried out the explosions reported in Nakhchivan earlier this week. 

Image Via: IRIMFA_EN

Araghchi said Iran’s armed forces were conducting investigations into the incident and reaffirmed Tehran’s policy of maintaining good relations with Azerbaijan. 

He also suggested that Israel may have played a role in the incident in an attempt to damage Iran’s relations with neighboring countries. 

Azerbaijan had earlier accused Iran of launching drones toward the enclave, an allegation Tehran has denied while expressing regret over injuries suffered by Azerbaijani civilians.

The diplomatic exchange came as the military theatre of the war continued to expand. The United States repositioned the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford into the Red Sea after transiting the Suez Canal, and added another carrier strike group to the conflict zone. The deployment places American carrier forces on multiple axes around Iran, with the USS Abraham Lincoln already operating in the Arabian Sea.

Meanwhile, tensions along Israel’s northern frontier deepened as Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun that the country would “pay the full price” if the Lebanese government failed to halt attacks by Hezbollah. Fighting along the border has intensified in recent days, including Israeli raids and clashes in southern Lebanon that Lebanese officials say killed several soldiers and civilians.

The humanitarian and diplomatic fallout from the fighting also continued to widen. Germany announced nearly €100 million in additional humanitarian aid for displaced people in Lebanon as thousands fled bombardment and evacuation orders. 

Spain also condemned the escalating strikes against Lebanon and urged all parties to respect international law and the mandate of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the country.

Ghana’s government separately lodged a protest with the United Nations after its peacekeeping troops were wounded during attacks near a UN base in southern Lebanon, and demanded a full investigation and stronger protection for peacekeepers operating in the conflict zone.

The latest developments come as U.S. President Donald Trump signaled that Washington was considering expanding its list of targets inside Iran, warning that additional areas and groups could be struck as the war has intensified.