Unidentified drone crashes in NW Iran as Armenia, Azerbaijan clash over Karabakh

An unidentified unmanned aerial vehicle has crashed in Iran’s northwestern province of Ardabil close to the area where an intense fighting is underway between neighboring Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan over the disputed Karabakh region.

Deputy Governor of Ardabil Province Behrouz Nedaei told IRNA that the drone went down on the outskirts of Upper Uzunteppe village of Parsabad County on Tuesday.

Nedaei added that investigations were underway to determine the origin of the aircraft, noting that the crash had caused no damage.

Local authorities believe the drone possibly belonged to one of the two neighbors involved in the fighting over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, according to IRNA.

Earlier this month, northwestern Iranian border regions were, on several occasions, hit by stray mortar shells and rockets exchanged between the armies of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Those incidents prompted stern warnings from senior Iranian officials, with Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami pledging stronger measures than warnings if such incidents were repeated.

Tehran has, at the same time, offered to mediate in the conflict, calling on both sides to exercise restraint, end the conflict immediately and resume negotiations.

SS