On August 4, a diplomatic dispute unfolded as Esmaeil Baghaei, the Spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced that Tehran had received disturbing reports about the mistreatment of Iranian citizens held in Azerbaijani prisons. In a swift rebuttal, Aykhan Hajizada, the Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, rejected these claims as baseless.

Hajizada asserted that the rights, safety, and welfare of Iranian citizens detained in Azerbaijan are fully guaranteed in accordance with both international obligations and national legislation. He clarified that Azerbaijan had provided official information to Iran about all detained Iranian nationals under the framework of the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. He detailed that Iranian prisoners are afforded legal rights, including making phone calls, receiving parcels, and meeting with family members, with some institutions even allowing video calls. Furthermore, he noted that detained foreigners regularly undergo medical examinations and are permitted to receive medications brought by the Iranian Embassy, in line with Azerbaijani regulations. In 2025 alone, Azerbaijani authorities facilitated consular access for Iranian Embassy staff to meet with 37 Iranian citizens, with the latest meeting occurring on July 31.

Hajizada also pointed to humanitarian gestures, citing a presidential decree on May 26, 2025, that pardoned five Iranian citizens. However, he contrasted this with Iran's alleged lack of transparency regarding Azerbaijani citizens imprisoned there. He stated that these prisoners are often denied contact with their diplomatic missions and families and are not allowed to apply for sentence transfers under a 1998 agreement. He added that court hearings for Azerbaijani citizens in Iran are reportedly conducted without informing Azerbaijani authorities. Hajizada concluded by emphasizing that Azerbaijan has consistently advocated for addressing such matters bilaterally and without politicization, referencing discussions held during consular consultations in Tehran on April 15, 2025.