On March 5, 2026, attacks were carried out on Nakhchivan from Iranian territory using unmanned aerial vehicles. The airport terminal and the territory of Shakarabad village secondary school were damaged. Two people were injured.
Modern.az reports that on that day, due to these attacks, which contradict the norms and principles of international law, the movement of cargo vehicles (including transit) through all border crossing points on the Azerbaijan–Iran state border was temporarily and completely suspended, a decision adopted by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Economic relations between Azerbaijan and Iran have continued in recent years, primarily in the field of trade. According to the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan, in 2025, the total trade turnover between the two countries amounted to 644.1 million US dollars. Of this amount, 624.1 million dollars accounted for Iran's exports to Azerbaijan, and 20 million dollars for Azerbaijan's exports to Iran.
Trade relations also continued at the beginning of 2026. Thus, in January 2026, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Iran was 57.1 million US dollars, and this indicator showed an increase of 2.1 percent compared to the same period of the previous year.
Regarding the issue, Milli Majlis member Azer Badamov gave a statement to Modern.az.
He stated that goods imported from Iran do not have a significant impact on Azerbaijan's domestic market:
“The share of food products imported from Iran to Azerbaijan is small compared to non-food items. I would like to note that trade relations, especially the import of non-food products into our country, were more profitable for Iran. Mainly goods made from plastic materials were imported from Iran. This will not be a significant loss for us. The current situation can have a positive impact on Azerbaijan's domestic production capacity. Because the chemical industry has developed, and there is full potential to meet domestic demand. However, I do not believe that cargo transportation at the border with Iran should be suspended for a long time. Because this is related to the incident that occurred. In the near future, the Iranian state will clarify the drone attack and appropriate measures will be taken. The adoption of this decision was necessary for the protection of national interests and security”, Azer Badamov added.
The Cabinet of Ministers informed our website that the decision is temporary and no specific duration has been set.
