An Iranian warship has crossed into Azerbaijan's territorial waters in the south Caspian to warn off a vessel doing research for the British Petroleum company, the Turan news agency reported Tuesday.
The warship demanded that the research vessel Geophysic-3 move several kilometres away from the area, even though researchers had legal permission for their work.
The research ship had to leave after the warcraft aimed its battle-ready guns at the researchers and threatened to use force, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said.
"Iran has seriously violated international norms," Azerbaijan's Prime Minister Artur Rasizade said, urging Iran to stop the "aggressive and impudent" actions, which may "seriously harm" bilateral relations.
Earlier on Monday, an Iranian warplane flew over the Geophysic-3 and its sister ship Alif Gadzhiyev, which were researching the Alov oil field, the foreign ministry said.
A note of protest, which called on Tehran to explain the incident, was handed to the Iranian ambassador in Baku, who refused to comment.
Iran had officially protested Saturday to Azerbaijan over its recent oil contracts with foreign, mainly western companies in the Caspian Sea, which both nations border.
Iran often lets it be known that it will not recognise oil exploration contracts and bilateral agreements involving the Caspian, and calls for a definitive regime for the contested inland sea.
The British ambassador to Iran assured Tehran on Monday that British companies, and the privately-owned British Petroleum in particular, had no intentions of resuming oil drilling in a section of the Caspian Sea disputed by Azerbaijan and Iran -- BAKU (AFP)
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