BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 2. French Ambassador to Azerbaijan Sophie Lagoutte expressed gratitude to Azerbaijan for swift and effective assistance in evacuating French citizens from Iran, Trend reports.
“Thanks to the Azerbaijani MFA for their very effective and rapid assistance for our citizens,” ambassador's publication on X said.
Evacuations of foreign and Azerbaijani citizens from Iran are ongoing amid the escalating crisis.
From 08:00 (GMT+4) February 28 through 14:00 (GMT+4) March 2, a total of 370 people from various countries were safely evacuated to Azerbaijan.
Following the 2nd round of nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran on February 17, which ended without progress, the U.S. increased its presence in areas near Iran, deploying over 150 aircraft to bases in Europe and the Middle East.
The escalation follows the 3rd round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States in Geneva on February 26. Held under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, the negotiations were viewed as the final chance to strike a deal diplomatically. However, no agreements were reached, as Tehran refused to halt uranium enrichment, dismantle its nuclear facilities, or accept indefinite restrictions on its nuclear program. Israel launched its airstrikes shortly afterward, with the country's Defense Minister Katz emphasizing that the operations were preemptive.
In a significant escalation, military airstrikes conducted by Israel and the United States the previous day have reportedly resulted in the deaths of Iran’s Supreme Leader Seyyed Ali Khamenei and several members of his family.
Additionally, several of Iran’s most senior military and security officials were killed in the airstrikes, including Chief of Staff Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander-in-Chief Mohammad Pakpour, Supreme Leader adviser and Defense Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani, and Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh.