Azerbaijan And Iraq Close Borders To Imports From Iran

Trucks carrying commodities from Iran to neighboring Azerbaijan. March 2020.

One German and two Azerbaijani Shi'a scholars have contracted the deadly Covid-19, Baku announced on Thursday, March 5.

The two had entered Azerbaijan from Iran, where they were studying at a Shi'ite seminary.

Earlier, Baku had announced that two Azerbaijani and one Russian citizen who had returned from Iran also tested positive. Therefore, the number of persons with the novel coronavirus in Azerbaijan has increased to six cases.

Meanwhile, Baku declared that nearly 500 Iranian citizens who have entered Azerbaijan were in quarantine.

Since February 29, Azerbaijan has banned Iranian citizens from entering its territory.

Furthermore, on Wednesday, Azerbaijan banned trucks coming from Iran to cross its borders.

A day earlier, Iraq had also stopped its imports from its eastern neighbor, Iran.

Moreover, Tehran's embassy in Baku officially declared in a statement that it had suspended all celebrations related to the new Iranian year, beginning March 21.

Currently, Iranians in Azerbaijan are allowed to return home.

"Azerbaijan is ensuring the return of its citizens who are in Iran," the operational headquarters under the Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers said in a statement on Wednesday, adding, "In this regard, the appeals of Azerbaijani citizens received through the hotlines of the embassy in Tehran and the consulate general in Tabriz are registered."

The statement also said, "Azerbaijani citizens arriving from Iran are on quarantine for a period from 14 to 29 days."

in the meantime, Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) has suspended flights between Baku and Tehran, while Iran Air has also announced halting its flights into Heydar Aliyev Airport in Baku.