Iran's FM Absent From NAM's Group Photos In Baku

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, in Baku to attend a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), was absent from the ministerial group photo.

The Iranian website Rouydad24 on Wednesday questioned the absence of the country's top diplomat and expressed surprise that none of the media representatives accompanying the Iranian foreign minister in Baku published any of the group photos.

Amir-Abdollahian's absence at the NAM forum - a gathering of 120 countries that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc - stands in contrast to a similar event held in 2019 in which his predecessor, Mohammad Javad Zarif, and former President Hassan Rouhani stood on the front rows of group photos.

Amir-Abdollahian's visit to Baku and his meetings with Azerbaijani officials came after months of tensions between the two neighbors.

Tensions have been high between Iran and Azerbaijan since November 2022 when both sides accused each other of engaging in terrorism and espionage. Iran has also suggested Azerbaijani involvement in the October 26 attack in Shiraz claimed by the Islamic State group (ISIS-Daesh).

Azerbaijan closed its embassy in Tehran after an armed attack on Azerbaijan’s embassy in Tehran in January and later expelled four Iranian diplomats over what it called “provocative actions” which may refer to Iran's several military drills along the border with Azerbaijan in the past year including the latest in October.

Tehran has also accused Baku of harboring Israeli intelligence and military elements that plan to use its territory in a possible attack against Iran’s nuclear facilities.