Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned Wednesday that the continuing clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region could escalate into a massive regional conflict.
The long-frozen Eastern European conflict has exploded into a hot war in recent weeks, with clashes killing dozens of people and threatening to drag nearby Turkey and Russia into a direct military confrontation.
“We must be attentive that the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan does not become a regional war,” Mr. Rouhani said Wednesday, BBC reported. “Peace is the basis of our work and we hope to restore stability to the region in a peaceful way.”
His comments come on the heels of reports that military-grade shells had landed in civilian areas in Iran near its northwest border with both countries.
Mr. Rouhani said the discovery was “totally unacceptable” and said Iran’s priority “is the security of our cities and villages.”
• Lauren Toms can be reached at lmeier@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.