Category: Azer News

An Iranian commercial vessel was reportedly struck in the Strait of Hormuz late on Saturday, killing one person and injuring four others, according to Iranian state media, as tensions continue to rise around the strategically vital waterway.

Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB said the incident occurred early on Sunday near Qeshm Island, off Iran’s southern coast. The state-run IRNA news agency quoted the governor of Qeshm as blaming a “terrorist enemy” for the attack.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, while the United States has not publicly commented on the reported incident.

The attack came a day before Iranian officials were due to meet regional representatives in Oman to discuss managing commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

A separate vessel was also hit by an unknown projectile in the strait late on Saturday, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO). It said a fire broke out and local authorities were helping to evacuate crew members, but did not identify the vessel or its flag.

The incidents have heightened concerns over the security of shipping through the waterway, through which around 20 million barrels of oil a day passed before the current conflict. Traffic has reportedly fallen by about 90% from pre-conflict levels.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the waterway would be reopened only if the United States ended its blockade. Ebrahim Azizi, chairman of the Iranian parliament’s national security committee, said negotiations would be pointless unless Washington accepted all of Tehran’s conditions.

The reported attacks came as Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen also stepped up their activities around another major maritime chokepoint.

The Houthis claimed responsibility on Sunday for an attack on a Saudi military base in the Sharurah region, saying they had used ballistic missiles and drones against weapons depots and command-and-control facilities.

The group has also intensified fighting against Yemen’s Saudi-backed government. Last week, the Houthis said they had captured Perim Island at the entrance to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a key shipping route linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.

The simultaneous pressure on the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab has raised concerns over global shipping and energy supplies. Prolonged disruption to either waterway could further increase oil prices and freight costs.

China is stepping up efforts to shape a new security order in the Middle East as Egypt and Gulf states reassess their dependence on the US amid continuing conflict and disruption to regional trade routes.

The shift became apparent after Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Cairo on September 2. Shortly after seeing Xi off at the airport, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss regional security and coordination between Cairo and Riyadh.

Xi used his talks with Sisi to propose a new Middle East security architecture built around four principles: regional countries taking responsibility for their own security, comprehensive solutions to interconnected conflicts, linking security with economic development and maritime trade, and greater reliance on international law and the United Nations.

The emphasis on maritime security is particularly significant as the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb remain vulnerable to disruption. China is a major trading power with a direct interest in keeping the region’s shipping lanes open, while instability around the two waterways threatens energy supplies and global trade.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi subsequently described the initiative as a Chinese solution for achieving long-term peace and stability in the region, signalling that Beijing sees the proposal as part of a broader effort to expand its diplomatic and strategic influence.

The proposal also comes as China deepens its military and technological relationship with Egypt. Chinese J-16 fighter aircraft participated in Egypt’s Eagles of Civilisation 2026 exercises, while Huawei has proposed major artificial intelligence data-centre projects in the country.

That combination of defence cooperation, technology investment and diplomacy gives Beijing an expanding presence in sectors traditionally dominated by the US and its Western allies.

China’s growing role is also being tested by its relationship with Iran. Xi’s encounter with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit was notably restrained, according to the analysis. Beijing has reportedly pressed Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resolve disputes with Saudi Arabia.

For China, the calculation is increasingly economic as well as diplomatic. Prolonged disruption in Hormuz threatens energy flows and shipping routes that underpin Chinese trade, making regional instability a potential liability for Beijing.

At the same time, China’s relationship with Saudi Arabia has expanded rapidly through investment, trade and strategic cooperation. That gives Beijing an incentive to balance its ties with Tehran against its increasingly important partnerships with Arab states.

The broader regional shift was visible at the SCO summit in Bishkek, where Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Trkiye was prepared to join the organisation as a full member. Such a move would give the China-led bloc a larger presence in the Middle East and could create additional space for Beijing to influence regional security arrangements.

Qatar has also signalled that its longstanding relationship with Washington may no longer be sufficient on its own. During a visit to Beijing, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Gulf states needed to recognise that their strategic alliance with the US, while important, was not enough by itself.

That message points to a broader change in the Gulf. Regional states are not necessarily abandoning Washington, but they are increasingly seeking additional security partnerships, diplomatic channels and economic relationships.

China’s proposal nevertheless faces a formidable obstacle: the region already has competing security arrangements. One of the most important is the emerging defence relationship between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Trkiye, while the US retains extensive military infrastructure and partnerships across the Gulf.

Beijing’s challenge will therefore be to translate its growing economic weight into a security role without becoming trapped by the region’s rivalries.

For Egypt and the Gulf states, the attraction of China’s approach is its emphasis on sovereignty, development, infrastructure and trade rather than dependence on a single external security provider.

For Beijing, the stakes are even higher. If China can help keep Hormuz and the Red Sea open while positioning itself as a broker between rival regional powers, it could move from being primarily an economic partner to becoming a central player in the Middle East’s security architecture.

That would represent a significant shift in a region where the US has been the dominant external security power for decades.

About 130 passengers and crew members are missing after a ferry carrying more than 240 people sank in rough seas in Indonesia’s Java Sea, rescuers said.

At least 107 people have been rescued, while the bodies of six passengers have been recovered as search and rescue teams expanded operations around the vessel’s last known position.

The ferry was travelling from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan when it ran into severe weather, officials said.

I Putu Sudayana, head of the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office, said the ferry’s captain had reported rough seas and waves reaching up to three metres before sending a distress message.

The captain reported that the vessel was listing, after which authorities received information indicating that the ferry had overturned and subsequently sank.

Rescuers have been searching the waters around the ferry’s last known location for survivors and victims as the operation continues.

The incident has raised fears of a major maritime disaster, with the number of people still missing making the ongoing search particularly urgent.

The 15th General Assembly of the Islamic Solidarity Sports Association (ISSA) was held in the city of Taif, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Farid Mansurov, Vice President of the National Olympic Committee, and Hasanagha Rzayev, Head of the Committee’s Sports Department, represented Azerbaijan at the event.

At the opening ceremony of the General Assembly, ISSA President Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal Al-Saud and representatives of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation delivered speeches and welcomed the participants.

In accordance with the event’s agenda, a number of important issues were discussed during the General Assembly.

The discussions covered the final report on the “Riyadh 2025” 6th Islamic Solidarity Games, the preparations for the “Malaysia 2029” 7th Islamic Solidarity Games, proposed amendments to the organization’s Statute, and the approval of the 2025 audit report.

Elections for the ISSA Executive Committee for the 2026-2029 term were held during the Assembly.

As part of the election process, the report of the Election Commission was presented, the list of approved candidates was announced, and the new Executive Committee for 2026-2029 held its first meeting. At the event, members of the Executive Committee whose terms of office had concluded were honored. During the awards ceremony, Chingiz Huseynzade-Vice President of the National Olympic Committee and Vice President of ISSA-was presented with a certificate of appreciation. This honor recognized his dedicated service and valuable contributions to the organization’s Executive Committee, as well as his leadership and commitment in advancing the association’s work and promoting solidarity, cooperation, and the development of sports across the Islamic world. The certificate was presented to Hasanagha Rzayev, Head of the Sports Department at the National Olympic Committee.

The Assembly also determined the new composition of the Athletes’ Commission for the 2026-2029 term, as well as the venue and date for the 16th General Assembly scheduled for 2027.

Azerbaijani gymnasts have secured a silver medal at the World Aerobic Gymnastics Championships in Pamplona, Spain.

According to the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation, Medina Mustafayeva and Vladimir Dolmatov, representing Azerbaijan in the mixed pairs category, delivered a confident performance in the final to finish second, missing out on gold by just 0.1 points.

The European champion pair scored 19.050 points in the qualifying round to reach the final.

Their final performance secured them second place on the podium and a silver medal at the prestigious international competition, which brought together more than 350 gymnasts from 38 countries.

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called for increased air defence support for Ukraine and the unfreezing of Russian assets after he was evacuated from a train following a Russian drone strike near the Polish border.

Johnson was travelling on a privately chartered train from Kyiv towards Poland on Sunday when passengers were briefly evacuated following a drone attack in the area, German newspaper Der Spiegel reported.

Commenting on the incident on X, Johnson questioned the rationale behind the Russian strike on a Ukrainian locomotive near the Polish border.

‘I don’t know what warped logic drove Putin to blow up a stationary Ukrainian locomotive on the Polish border this morning,’ Johnson wrote.

He described the attack as ‘kind of random and senseless’ and said Ukrainians were facing similar attacks ‘every day, even on civilian railways’.

Johnson used the incident to renew his call for greater military support for Kyiv, particularly additional air defence systems.

‘When are we going to give them the air defences they need? Why won’t we unfreeze Putin’s cash and give it to Ukraine,’ he said.

Johnson referred to more than pound 140 billion ($162 billion) held in a Belgian bank account and around £10 billion ($13.5 billion) in London, apparently referring to frozen Russian assets.

He also expressed confidence in Ukraine’s ability to withstand Russia’s invasion.

‘The Ukrainians are going to win – that much was clear from the last three days in their wonderful country,’ Johnson said.

However, he argued that the war could end significantly sooner if Ukraine’s allies provided greater military and financial support.

‘The dreadful war would be over much faster if we all got serious and gave Ukraine what it needed and deserved,’ he said.

The train incident came after a drone struck a passenger train travelling from Kyiv to Warsaw near the Polish border earlier Sunday, reportedly hitting its locomotive. No injuries were reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that Russia’s economy outpaced global growth over the past three years, but official international data indicates that the global economy expanded slightly faster over the same period.

Speaking at the BRICS summit in New Delhi on September 11, Putin said Russia’s gross domestic product had grown by 10.3% between 2023 and 2025.

Putin attributed the performance to structural changes in the Russian economy, arguing that the country had strengthened its resilience despite facing more than 30,000 international sanctions.

Addressing leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Putin also criticised Western economies, citing rising sovereign debt, widening budget deficits and what he described as an 8% decline in European Union industrial production.

However, figures from the International Monetary Fund and Eurostat paint a different picture.

IMF data shows that the global economy grew by 10.7% between 2023 and 2025, slightly exceeding Russia’s reported 10.3% expansion.

Russia did outperform the global economy in 2023 and 2024, when wartime government spending provided a major boost to economic activity. But growth slowed sharply in 2025, falling to around 1%, while the global economy expanded by 3.5%.

Eurostat data also challenges Putin’s assessment of European industrial production. EU industrial output declined in 2023 and 2024 before recovering in 2025, resulting in a net decline of about 0.6% over the three-year period, rather than the 8% contraction cited by the Russian president.

Russia’s own economic forecasts suggest the gap with the global economy could widen further.

The Russian Ministry of Economic Development expects GDP growth of just 0.4% in 2026, compared with an IMF forecast of 3% for global growth.

The Russian forecast also puts growth at 1.4% in 2027, 1.9% in 2028 and 2.4% in 2029. Even combined, those figures point to only modest expansion over the coming years.

The slowdown is already visible in recent economic indicators. Russia’s economy grew by 1.3% year on year in the second quarter of 2026, while first-half growth was just 0.6%, according to the figures cited in the report.

That represents a significant slowdown from the pace recorded during the wartime expansion of 2023 and 2024.

Fiscal pressures are also increasing. Putin acknowledged on September 3 that Russia’s federal budget deficit was widening, with the January-July shortfall reaching 2.8% of GDP, compared with the government’s full-year target of 1.6%.

Putin has argued that sanctions have strengthened Russia’s economic sovereignty and encouraged Moscow to deepen trade with non-Western partners.

But the country’s wartime economy continues to face significant constraints, including labour shortages, persistent inflation, high interest rates and growing fiscal pressures.

Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure have added to those difficulties. Repeated attacks on refineries during 2026 have disrupted domestic fuel processing and contributed to Moscow imposing restrictions on fuel exports.

The disruptions have also affected aviation, with restrictions on refuelling reportedly introduced at major Russian airports.

While the Kremlin continues to present Russia as an economically resilient model for the Global South, slowing growth, rising fiscal pressures and supply constraints are increasingly challenging that narrative.

Vilnius Airport was temporarily closed on Sunday after authorities detected what was initially believed to be a drone in Lithuanian airspace, prompting NATO to scramble a fighter jet.

The alert was later lifted after the object was visually identified as a flock of birds, Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Centre said.

The incident briefly disrupted air traffic at the Lithuanian capital’s airport as authorities responded to the potential airspace threat. A NATO fighter jet was scrambled from Šiauliai in northern Lithuania, where the Italian Air Force is currently deployed as part of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission.

The aircraft’s visual inspection determined that the radar contact had been caused by birds rather than a drone. Lithuanian authorities said radar signatures produced by birds and drones can initially appear similar.

The air alert was lifted and Vilnius Airport reopened within 38 minutes, according to the National Crisis Management Centre.

The incident nevertheless highlighted the heightened level of airspace vigilance in Lithuania and across NATO’s eastern flank, where authorities have increased monitoring following a series of drone-related incidents in and around the region.

Recent incidents have underscored the difficulty of distinguishing drones from other objects on radar. Finland said earlier this month that four Ukrainian military drones had unintentionally entered its airspace in March and April because of a combination of satellite-navigation interference and wind.

Lithuania’s latest alert also came shortly after a drone sighting temporarily disrupted air traffic at Brussels Airport on Friday, demonstrating how reports of unidentified unmanned aircraft continue to trigger immediate security responses at European airports.

While Sunday’s incident turned out to be a false alarm, the rapid deployment of a NATO fighter and temporary closure of the capital’s airport illustrate the heightened sensitivity surrounding unidentified aerial objects over NATO territory.

The attempts by occupying and separatist circles to justify themselves and portray themselves as makers of history should, in reality, be described as one of history’s most tragic periods. The very existence of such people has always created the conditions for deeply unpleasant developments. Not long ago, a criminal group that insulted official correspondence between governments and heads of state, more specifically the Italian Prime Minister’s letter of thanks to the Azerbaijani President, once again continued its activities.

Yesterday, Magdalena Grono, the European Union’s Special Representative for the South Caucasus, who travelled together with a foreign delegation to Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region and other territories liberated from occupation, became the target of a group of separatists. It appears that this mentality, which continues to operate under the fabricated name of ‘artsakh’, will now systematically target any activities undertaken by the European Union and a number of official organisations that do not correspond to its objectives and interests, and will insult them whenever it considers it necessary.

It appears that this behaviour, before it becomes an established practice, should be taken into account by Brussels, Western institutions and, of course, appropriate measures should be taken. Otherwise, a grouping that has never hesitated to settle in other people’s lands and claim them as its own may tomorrow turn insulting official representatives into an accepted practice. In other words, if you fail to deal firmly with those who know no limits, they will always go beyond them. Europe and the West must therefore first and foremost cut off the hand that pays the bribes, remove those addicted to corruption who carry out their orders, and in this way put a stop to the activities of such uncontrolled gangs.

The UK government has pushed back against US President Donald Trump’s call for Irish unification, insisting that there is currently insufficient public support in Northern Ireland for a referendum on the territory’s constitutional future.

Trump said during his visit to Dublin on Saturday that he would ‘love to see’ Ireland unified and suggested that reunification was ultimately inevitable.

‘I think it would be a great feather in everybody’s cap if that happened,’ Trump said alongside Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin. ‘It’s going to happen eventually. It may as well happen now.’

The comments put Trump at odds with the UK government’s position on a potential border poll in Northern Ireland.

Downing Street said Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s position had not changed and that there was currently no majority public support for another referendum. ‘Until that changes, there will not be one,’ a Downing Street spokesperson said.

Under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement and the legislation underpinning it, a referendum on Northern Ireland’s constitutional status is to be called if the UK Secretary of State has grounds to believe that a majority would vote in favour of a united Ireland. The decision therefore rests with the British government rather than being triggered directly by the US or Irish governments.

Burnham said earlier this month that there was no current majority support for another referendum, effectively ruling out a border poll under present circumstances. His position was reiterated by Downing Street following Trump’s remarks.

Trump acknowledged that the UK would have a role in any decision but nevertheless described Irish unification as a ‘fantastic’ development.

The US president’s intervention has already drawn criticism from unionist politicians in Northern Ireland, who argue that the territory’s constitutional future should be determined by its own voters. Democratic Unionist Party leader Gavin Robinson said Northern Ireland’s future would be decided by its people rather than by politicians in London, Dublin or Washington.

The remarks have also been welcomed by Irish nationalists. Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald said Trump’s comments showed that the debate over Irish unity had shifted and called on Martin to begin planning for reunification.

Martin has previously called for greater clarity over the circumstances in which a border poll could be held, while stressing the importance of cooperation between Dublin, London and Northern Ireland’s political parties.

Trump’s comments therefore inject a new international dimension into an issue governed by the Good Friday Agreement, which ended decades of conflict and established the principle that Northern Ireland’s constitutional status can change only with the consent of a majority of its people.