The spokesman of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Esmail Bekaei, called the decision of the authorities in Azerbaijan to declare 14 Iranian citizens persona non grata an unfriendly step. According to him, "Tehran does not understand the legal basis for such a decision and expressed an official protest to Baku and promised to give an adequate response to the actions."

The spokesman of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Esmail Bekaei, called the decision of the authorities in Azerbaijan to declare 14 Iranian citizens persona non grata an unfriendly step. According to him, "Tehran does not understand the legal basis for such a decision and expressed an official protest to Baku and promised to give an adequate response to the actions."