Azerbaijan’s media regulator has warned it may restrict Iranian journalists after Tehran designated Azerbaijan State Television (AzTV) as an “enemy media” organisation.
Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence added AzTV to a list of blacklisted foreign media outlets on 12 July under updated espionage legislation, warning that any cooperation with the channel carries criminal penalties.
Azerbaijan’s Media Development Agency (MEDİA) described the designation as surprising in a statement on 27 July, warning that Baku reserves the right to apply reciprocal measures against media operating from countries that restrict Azerbaijani journalists.
MEDİA declared the activities of Iranian state-affiliated outlets Sahar TV and the Mehr News Agency in Azerbaijan “illegal”, accusing them of broadcasting propaganda targeting the country’s sovereignty, constitutional order, and national security.
Neither Sahar TV nor Mehr News Agency has publicly responded to the accusations.
Media disputes between the two neighbouring states have repeatedly mirrored broader diplomatic friction.
In 2023, Baku and Tehran exchanged formal diplomatic notes accusing each other’s news organisations of broadcasting biased coverage. Relations had plunged earlier that year following a deadly armed attack on Azerbaijan’s embassy in Tehran in January 2023.
Relations were tested again in March 2026 after drones crashed in Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan region during military clashes involving Iran, Israel, and the United States. President Ilham Aliyev condemned the incident as a “terrorist act” and demanded a formal apology from Tehran.
Iranian officials denied intentionally targeting neighbouring countries and pledged to conduct an investigation. Cross-border freight transport, which was temporarily halted during the crisis, was restored following a telephone call between the two country’s leaders, after which Azerbaijan dispatched humanitarian aid to Iran.