I knew and told you all its a BS news. Azerbaijan is too scared of Iran to do something like that.
Azerbaijan has angrily denied allegations by a US magazine that it has granted Israel access to its airbases to launch an attack on Iran or to return its fighter jets there after a strike.
"We have stated on numerous occasions and we reiterate that there will be no actions against Iran... from the territory of Azerbaijan," Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Ali Hasanov told journalists in Baku.
A senior official at Azerbaijan's presidential administration added that such speculation was "aimed at damaging relations between Azerbaijan and Iran," AFP reported.
Foreign Policy , released on Wednesday, quoted four anonymous senior diplomats and military intelligence officers as saying that Washington has concluded Israel was recently granted access to airbases in Azerbaijan.
"The Israelis have bought an airfield, and the airfield is called Azerbaijan," one US official reportedly said.
Israel reportedly lacks in-air refueling capabilities for the 3,540-kilometer return flight from Israel for a strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.
"Access to such airfields is important for Israel, because it would mean that Israeli F-15I and F-16I fighter-bombers would not have to refuel mid-flight during a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, but could simply continue north and land in Azerbaijan," the article said.
The unnamed US officials said Israel would likely be permitted to land in Azeri bases after an attack and could use them to stage search and rescue operations into Iran.
The report added that the US intelligence and diplomatic officials believe that Israel has gained access to the airbases through a series of “quiet political and military understandings.”
"I doubt that there's actually anything in writing," a retired senior US diplomat who served in the region was quoted as saying.
"But I don't think there's any doubt - if Israeli jets want to land in Azerbaijan after an attack, they'd probably be allowed to do so."
The Azeri Defense Ministry, however, says these claims are untrue.
"This information is absurd and groundless," Defense Ministry Spokesman Teymur Abdullayev said.
The US, Israel and their allies accuse Iran of trying to build nuclear weapons. While Washington has repeatedly threatened Tehran with the “all potions” mantra, Tel Aviv openly speaks of a military strike against the Islamic Republic.
Iran, a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), refutes the allegations, saying its nuclear energy program is peaceful in nature.
HMV/HGH/IS
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link to www.presstv.ir]
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