Head of Azerbaijan’s AzTV calls Iran's “hostile media” label surprising

Head of Azerbaijan Television (AzTV), Rovshan Mammadov, has described Iran's decision to designate the broadcaster as a "media organisation hostile to Iran" as surprising, saying the reasons behind the move remain unclear.

Mammadov said during AzTV's analytical program Həftə (Week) that Iranian media had waged a disinformation campaign and carried out information attacks against Azerbaijan since the early days of the 44-day Patriotic War, Caliber.Az reports.

He noted that Azerbaijani media, by contrast, have covered developments related to Iran in line with professional journalistic standards and have refrained from spreading false information.

According to Mammadov, the Iranian Intelligence Ministry's decision to place AzTV on its list of "hostile media organisations" was unexpected, as no explanation had been provided.

He suggested the move may have been prompted by AzTV's fact-based reporting that challenged what he described as disinformation spread by Iranian media against Azerbaijan during the 44-day war and in the years that followed.

Mammadov remarked that AzTV, which has nearly a century of history, will continue to respond to information attacks targeting Azerbaijan regardless of their source.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov