Iranian Diplomat to Begin Regional Tour in Pursuit of Nagorno-Karabakh Peace

In remarks on Tuesday, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said Araqchi will set off on a regional tour as Iran’s special envoy.

The deputy minister will first visit Iranian border regions to see first-hand the latest developments on the ground, Khatibzadeh added.

Araqchi’s tour will later take him to Baku, Moscow, Yerevan and Ankara, the spokesman said.

After arriving in Iran’s northwestern province of Ardabil on Tuesday, Araqchi warned the warring parties in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to prevent any harm to the security of Iran’s border areas.

“The security of border regions, dams, and constructions is highly significant for the Islamic Republic of Iran and is a red line,” Araqchi told reporters in Pars Abad region, stressing that the two neighboring states must prevent any damage to the Iranian border sites and zones amid the fighting.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has major water and electricity facilities at the Aras border river,” Araqchi noted, saying he would visit those sites in the trip.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in a bitter conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, as the fighting has escalated over the past recent weeks.

The two neighbors of Iran have agreed to respect a new humanitarian ceasefire in the conflict that took effect on Monday.

Dozens of rockets and mortar shells fired during the armed clashes have fell in Iran, damaging rural houses and injuring civilians.