Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has issued an extraordinary ultimatum to Azerbaijan, demanding the immediate expulsion of Israeli assets from Azerbaijani soil or face military targeting by Iranian armed forces. The threat marks a dramatic escalation in South Caucasus tensions and represents one of the most direct military warnings Tehran has issued against a neighboring state.

The IRGC statement, circulated through Iranian state-affiliated media, declared: "Azerbaijan must immediately expel the Zionists and their assets from their soil, or they will become targets for the Iranian Armed Forces." The warning comes amid the broader Israeli-Iranian confrontation that has intensified across the Middle East.

Azerbaijan's relationship with Israel has been a persistent source of Iranian anxiety. The two countries maintain deep defense and intelligence ties, with Israel providing substantial arms sales including drones and missile systems that proved decisive in Azerbaijan's 2020 war against Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh. Israeli firms also operate in Azerbaijan's energy and technology sectors.

For Iran, the concern extends beyond diplomatic displeasure. An estimated 15 to 20 million ethnic Azerbaijanis live in northern Iran, making Azerbaijani nationalism a sensitive domestic issue for Tehran. Israeli intelligence presence near Iran's northern border compounds these anxieties, particularly as Israel has conducted extensive operations against Iranian nuclear and military facilities.

The threat places Turkey in a difficult position. Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government has cultivated a "one nation, two states" relationship with Azerbaijan, but Ankara also maintains complex dealings with both and . A military confrontation between and would force Turkey to choose between its Azerbaijani and its own strategic calculations regarding and Kurdish autonomy movements.