Azerbaijan denies report it will grant Israel access to air bases near Iran

TEHRAN,April 2(MNA) - Azerbaijan on Thursday dismissed a report in a U.S. magazine that claimed Baku will grant Israel access to air bases on the border it shares with Iran in the event of an attack on Iran. “The Israelis have bought an airfield and the airfield is called Azerbaijan,” a senior U.S. administration official told Foreign Policy magazine on Thursday. Azerbaijan’s defense ministry denied the claims, according to AFP. “This information is absurd and groundless,” Defense Ministry spokesman Teymur Abdullayev said. A senior official at Azerbaijan’s presidential administration also said on Thursday the allegations were “aimed at damaging relations between Azerbaijan and Iran.” “We have stated on numerous occasions and we reiterate that there will be no actions against Iran… from the territory of Azerbaijan,” Ali Hasanov, a presidential official, told reporters in Baku.