Category: Azer News

U.S. President Donald Trump said that Iran could become a new market for American agricultural exports amid ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran and a reported agreement, AzerNEWS reports.

Speaking at a dinner with American farmers at the White House, Trump expressed optimism about the potential economic opportunities.

“I think it’s going to be very big,” the U.S. president said.

On Thursday, The New York Post, citing a senior U.S. official, reported that under the agreement, Iranian funds frozen in the United States would be released. However, the funds would not be transferred directly to the Iranian government.

Instead, Washington insists that the money be paid directly to companies supplying Iran with approved goods, including agricultural products, medical equipment, and other authorized items.

According to Iranian media reports, Tehran is expected to receive a total of $12 billion in two installments under the arrangement.

Azerbaijan has dispatched its latest shipment of petroleum products to Armenia, marking another step in ongoing regional trade.

AzerNEWS reports that the cargo departed from the Bilajari railway station on June 26, heading toward Boyuk Kasik. The shipment consists of 18 railcars carrying 971 tons of AI-92 gasoline, alongside 8 railcars transporting 467 tons of diesel fuel.

With this latest delivery, Azerbaijan’s total energy exports to Armenia have surpassed significant milestones. To date, the country has supplied Armenia with more than 14,000 tons of diesel, as well as over 4,000 tons of AI-92 and AI-95 grade gasoline.

In tandem with direct energy sales, Azerbaijan continues to serve as a vital transit corridor for regional logistics. Cumulative transit data reveals that Russia has utilized Azerbaijani territory to transport over 34,000 tons of grain, nearly 8,000 tons of fertilizer, 414 tons of anthracite coal, 133 tons of aluminum, and 68 tons of buckwheat directly to Armenia.

First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva shared a post on her social media accounts dedicated to June 26 – Armed Forces Day, AzerNEWS reports.

The post states: “We are proud of our Army, which has brought the joy of Victory to our people! May Allah have mercy on our martyrs who heroically sacrificed their lives for the Motherland! May the Almighty protect our people and our beloved Azerbaijan!”

The Delegation of the Republic of Azerbaijan to NATO hosted an official reception at NATO headquarters to mark the 108th anniversary of the establishment of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan, AzerNEWS reports.

According to the delegation’s press service, the event was attended by Kevin Hamilton, NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia and Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Partnerships, along with ambassadors of Allied and partner countries to NATO, military representatives, members of the Alliance’s International Secretariat, and other senior guests.

Addressing the reception, Head of Azerbaijan’s Delegation to NATO Jafar Huseynzade said the anniversary was an important occasion to honor the service and sacrifices of Azerbaijani military personnel and to reaffirm the country’s commitment to independence, sovereignty, and statehood.

Huseynzade emphasized that Azerbaijan’s independence had been achieved through great sacrifices and that its preservation depends on strong state institutions, national unity, and professional armed forces. He highlighted the role of National Leader Heydar Aliyev in laying the foundations of the modern Azerbaijani Army, noting that the military development policy has been successfully continued under the leadership of President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, resulting in the restoration of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

He also stressed that Azerbaijan’s objectives extend beyond restoring sovereignty and include achieving lasting peace in the South Caucasus. Huseynzade described the progress made in the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace process at the Washington Summit as an important step toward regional stability.

The head of the delegation further noted that Azerbaijan’s partnership with NATO has developed for more than three decades on the basis of mutual respect and shared interests. He highlighted the country’s contributions to NATO-led missions, particularly in Kosovo and Afghanistan, as well as its role in strengthening the energy security of NATO allies and partners and serving as a key Eurasian connectivity hub linking Europe, Central Asia, and other regions.

During the event, Azerbaijan’s Military Representative to the NATO Military Committee, Ramil Hasanov, provided an overview of the development of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces and the country’s military cooperation with the Alliance.

In his remarks, Ambassador Kevin Hamilton described Azerbaijan as a reliable and valuable NATO partner. He said the long-standing partnership has made a significant contribution to the professionalization and modernization of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, which today maintain a high level of interoperability with NATO standards.

Hamilton also praised Azerbaijan’s contributions to NATO operations, particularly its role in Afghanistan, expressing special appreciation for the country’s support during the withdrawal of Allied forces and noting that Azerbaijan was the last partner nation to leave Afghanistan. He additionally commended Azerbaijan’s role in enhancing the energy security of NATO members and partners and welcomed the progress achieved toward de facto peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia, describing it as an important development for regional stability and security.

The reception also featured a photo exhibition highlighting Azerbaijan’s partnership with NATO, the contributions of National Leader Heydar Aliyev to the development of relations with the Alliance, President Ilham Aliyev’s visits to NATO headquarters and meetings with Alliance officials, as well as a banquet showcasing traditional Azerbaijani cuisine.

Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that close to 1,000 rescue workers from 16 countries have been deployed to Venezuela in response to this week’s deadly earthquakes, AzerNEWS reports.

According to Laerke, search and rescue teams from Italy, Colombia, Mexico, El Salvador, the United States, Chile, and Switzerland have already arrived in Venezuela. Additional teams from the United Kingdom, Germany, Jordan, Spain, Qatar, the Netherlands, France, the Czech Republic, and Ecuador are expected to arrive in the coming days.

Laerke also said that the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has allocated $15 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund to support relief efforts in Venezuela.

At least 235 people have been killed and more than 4,300 injured in the earthquakes, according to the latest reports. The state of La Guaira, which has been declared a disaster zone, is among the hardest-hit areas.

Search and rescue operations, as well as damage assessments, remain ongoing.

Two nuclear reactors in Switzerland have been taken off the grid after rising river temperatures reduced the effectiveness of their cooling system, according to local media reports on Friday, AzerNEWS reports.

Energy company Axpo said the two Beznau reactor units, cooled by water from the River Aare, are now in a full shutdown state after being progressively reduced earlier in the week, according to SWI.

Axpo said the temperature of the River Aare reached 25C (77F), a level it said does not allow sufficient cooling for the plant’s operations.

Output from the two reactors had already been reduced Tuesday, most recently to 50%. The company said the river reached 25C for the first time Wednesday after cooling water had been fully mixed, adding that if there was no prospect of the river cooling, the reactors would be shut down completely Friday.

The two units, located on the Aare island in Dottingen, had already temporarily suspended electricity production in July 2025.

Europe’s current heatwave, which has brought red alerts to several countries throughout the week, is the “most severe” ever recorded in the region and was made significantly more likely and intense by fossil fuel-driven climate change, according to a report published Friday by World Weather Attribution (WWA).

The study found that the temperatures recorded would have been virtually impossible 50 years ago and far less likely even during previous record-breaking heatwaves.

President Donald Trump on Friday accused Iran of violating a ceasefire agreement with the United States by launching attack drones at ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, including a cargo vessel that was struck off the coast of Oman on Thursday, AzerNEWS reports.

‘The Islamic Republic of Iran shot at least four One Way Attack Drones at Ships transversing the Strait of Hormuz,’ Trump wrote in a Truth Social Post.

‘One of the Drones solidly hit the upper deck of a large and very expensive Cargo Carrying Ship,’ the president wrote.

‘Damage was done, but the Ship was able to proceed on its way. We knocked down three other Drones. Obviously, this is a foolish violation of our Ceasefire Agreement.’

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a phone conversation with United Arab Emirates Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan on Friday, during which they discussed the current situation in the Middle East and the memorandum of understanding that Tehran signed with Washington.

According to a readout by the Emirati Foreign Ministry, Al-Nahyan underlined the importance of completely abiding by the provisions in the agreement and emphasized that “serious diplomacy and responsible dialogue are the preferred means of addressing regional and international crises.” Meanwhile, the UAE state news agency WAM reported that the two diplomats also discussed the freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

The worth of armies is measured in their numbers, equipment, and budgets. The worth of Azerbaijan’s army should be measured by one thing only, its mission to end the thirty-year-long occupation and the achievement of this goal in forty-four days, despite the presence of a patron power backing the opponent and the absence of endless military involvement typical for much larger military forces recently. The result was not accidental and the product of thirty years of careful planning and preparation which started from the moment when the country experienced its darkest times.

The Azerbaijani Army was not inherited; it was built, almost from nothing, by Heydar Aliyev, the National Leader who, returning to power in 1993, found a republic without a functioning command structure, without trained officers, and without the first victories that any young institution needs to believe in itself. He established the country’s first military academy, restored discipline to a fragmented force, and secured the army’s earliest successes in the closing stages of the First Garabagh War. What he built was not yet an army capable of full victory. It was the foundation one was eventually built upon.

This legacy was taken up and built on by President Ilham Aliyev. In a little over two decades, Azerbaijan has turned its revenues into one of the most comprehensive military modernization schemes in the region, with equipment, doctrine, and a carefully thought-out strategy aimed at bridging the technology and skills gap that proved so costly to Azerbaijan during the early years of the 1990s. This success is quantifiable in terms unmatched by any other regional military force: the Azerbaijani Army consistently ranks as one of the top military forces in the region and has been recognized in global military surveys as one of the top military forces in the world.

It is, fundamentally, not an army of parades. It is an army that has won on the battlefield, and in 2020, it did so absolutely, where larger powers in recent decades have struggled to do so at all.

Proof can be found in the Second Garabagh War. In just forty-four days, Azerbaijan succeeded in overturning thirty years of occupation, doing so in such a manner that it stands alone among virtually all other modern conflicts in its determination of purpose and conclusiveness of victory. Neither the United States nor Russia, the two military forces in the world best resourced, have managed in recent years to conclude lengthy and expensive wars with such decisive results. What Azerbaijan managed to achieve in this war was something else entirely.

Critical in ensuring such an outcome is a technique that became a game changer for the military in its own right. Azerbaijan became one of the earliest armies to use Bayraktar TB2 Turkish drones and Israeli loitering ammunition together in large numbers. The battle was later termed as a ‘drone revolution,’ where analysts showed how air superiority and precision fire control, when done in tandem, can replace the attrition warfare which has characterized so many wars in the last century while keeping the losses on the attacker’s side minimal.

But technology alone does not make war victories by itself. It serves as just a tool, but not a replacement for the willpower of people. The Supreme Commander-in-Chief set the goal, and then the Azerbaijani soldier implemented it despite being under fire and in the mountains at fortified positions. This difference counts since it is more difficult to produce. You can buy drones but cannot buy the army’s willpower.

There was nowhere this fusion of technology and resolve was more evident than in Shusha. The battle for Shusha has been described as one of the major urban warfare case studies of modern times. The Shusha defenders believed that its 300-meter-high cliffs were unassailable and deployed all their defenses there. The special forces of Azerbaijan climbed the cliffs at night in complete defiance of what conventional military thinking would have regarded as impossible. The fall of the city, which was both strategically crucial and psychologically indispensable, was achieved without any loss on either side, something that rarely happens in urban warfare and forced the surrender of Armenia.

Also noteworthy but seldom remarked upon is what Azerbaijan’s military did not do. Throughout the course of forty-four days, it did not strike at civilians and conducted itself in accordance with the rules of humanitarian warfare even as the war it was fighting had thirty years of grievances behind it. This was no accident. It was the result of professionalism on the part of a modern military and the higher morals of a country that refused to forsake its values even while waging a justified war.

The war did not mark the end of efforts; indeed, President Ilham Aliyev’s own evaluation of the strength of the current army being stronger than that which fought in 2020 was no mere rhetorical device but an account of ongoing reforms including the establishment of commando brigades, the modernization of the education of the armed forces via the National Defense University, and the development of closer ties between the armed forces and domestic Azerbaijani defense industries. Indigenous development of systems like the Zarb and Arkan drones reflects a conscious effort to move away from reliance upon imported systems.

The real gauge of an army is not in how much gear it shows off on an annual basis, but in what it accomplishes when required and the integrity it maintains while accomplishing those things. In that light, June 26 is a reminder not of formality but of substance: an institution crafted carefully over thirty years, proven absolutely, and constantly reinforced.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has escalated pressure on Belarus by demanding that Minsk dismantle infrastructure which Kyiv says is being used to support Russian drone operations along the border.

During a June 19 press briefing, Zelenskyy called on the Belarusian authorities to remove specific signal retransmission equipment allegedly facilitating Russian drone activity, warning that if Minsk failed to act within a week, Ukraine would do so itself. He also urged Belarus to halt petroleum exports from its refineries to Russia and called for an end to supplies of military-related components from Belarusian industry.

Zelenskyy further suggested that Belarus’ leadership privately opposes the war and should begin acting accordingly. His remarks came shortly before June 22, a date carrying deep historical significance in Belarus as the anniversary of Nazi Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II.

Meanwhile, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War have argued that the Kremlin could eventually use the Union State framework to draw Belarus further into the conflict, including by recruiting Belarusian citizens into Russian military formations to address Russia’s continuing manpower shortages.

Russian and Ukrainian analysts shared their assessments of these issues with AzerNEWS:

Commenting on Zelenskyy’s remarks, Moscow-based geopolitical analyst Andrew Korybko argued that while Belarus continues to maintain its alliance with Russia, President Alexander Lukashenko has consistently resisted deeper military involvement in the conflict.

‘Lukashenko remains allied with Putin, and some Russian troops entered Ukraine from Belarus during the initial stage of the special operation, but he doesn’t want to embroil his country any further in the conflict. It’s therefore plausible that he conveyed this to Zelensky somehow, which aligns with his public statements repeatedly calling for an end to hostilities, but it doesn’t mean that he’s about to break with Putin and kick out Russian troops.’

According to Korybko, Zelenskyy’s comments should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of an imminent split between Minsk and Moscow, arguing that Lukashenko has historically sought to preserve Belarus’ room for maneuver while remaining strategically aligned with Russia.

‘Lukashenko has a known history of refusing to subordinate Belarus as Russia’s ‘junior partner’ as he sees it. From Putin’s perspective, generous Russian subsidies are responsible for Belarus’ economic and thus political stability, so Lukashenko previously behaved ungratefully when feuding with him over various issues in the past.

Nevertheless, Putin hasn’t pressured Lukashenko to commit Belarusian troops to the Ukrainian Conflict, mostly likely because he knows that his counterpart is firmly opposed to this and it’s wildly unpopular in Belarusian society too. He therefore isn’t expected to call for this and all such claims that he has are fake news.’

Offering a different assessment, former Ukrainian diplomat and war analyst Vadym Tryukhan argued that Zelenskyy’s ultimatum carries genuine military credibility and that Minsk has already begun responding to Kyiv’s demands:

‘Unlike Putin, who abuses empty ultimatums, Zelenskyy stands by every word he says. And Lukashenko knows this perfectly well.

That’s why news emerged yesterday that both repeater stations located near the Belarusian-Ukrainian border are no longer operational. Lukashenko carefully weighed the pros and cons and realized that Russia has no means of defending Belarus, while Lukashenko himself has absolutely no troops capable of confronting a Ukrainian army, seasoned in battles against Russia.’

Tryukhan further suggested that Belarus could soon suspend petroleum exports supporting Russia in order to avoid becoming a direct military target.

‘I think we will soon see both of Lukashenko’s oil refineries stop supplying petroleum products to Ukraine. Otherwise, they could be destroyed in a single blow.

I think we will soon see both of Lukashenko’s oil refineries stop supplying petroleum products to Ukraine. Otherwise, they could be destroyed in a single blow.’

Looking beyond Belarus, Tryukhan argued that Kyiv’s tougher posture could eventually extend directly toward Russia itself.

‘What’s next? And then, having practiced on Lukashenko, Zelenskyy will turn his attention to Putin. I think we’ll soon witness the first harsh ultimatums to Russia. And the first, I think, will concern withdrawal from Crimea.

The key is that the days are gone when Putin could issue ultimatums and anyone would fear them. In Ukraine, they haven’t been afraid of them for a long time. Ukraine has learned to punch Putin’s troops and Putin himself in the face, and publicly.

Therefore, he will soon be held accountable for his short-sighted, bloodthirsty policies toward Ukraine and many other countries around the world.’

The death toll from the devastating earthquake that struck Venezuela has climbed to 235, while more than 4,300 people have been injured, according to the country’s health authorities, AzerNEWS reports.

Speaking on the state television channel Venezolana de Televisión, Venezuelan Health Minister Carlos Alvarado said that hospitals had received approximately 235 victims who either showed no signs of life upon arrival or died shortly after being admitted.

“Unfortunately, we received around 235 patients without vital signs, or they died after reaching our medical facilities,” Alvarado said.

The minister added that medical teams across the country have provided assistance to more than 4,300 injured people as emergency and rescue operations continue in the aftermath of the disaster.

Authorities are still assessing the full extent of the damage caused by the earthquake, and the number of casualties could rise as search efforts proceed.