Iran on 9 November after Baku declared 14 Iranian citizens persona non grata and banned them from entering the country. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei described the decision as an unfriendly move and questioned its justification, noting that none of the individuals concerned were diplomats or had previously visited Azerbaijani territory. Baghaei confirmed that Azerbaijan's ambassador to Iran had been summoned to the Foreign Ministry and formally presented with Tehran's objections. Baghaei added that Iran would consider further measures and announce them in due course.

Azerbaijan on 3 November, accusing the 14 individuals of making hostile statements against the Azerbaijani state, population and leadership, promoting religious radicalism and inciting hostility. The authorities also accused some of the individuals of targeting the country's sovereignty, national security, state-religion relations and political system, including through calls for the forcible change of government. Those included in the list comprise Iranian parliamentarians and a former MP, senior religious figures, academics, political analysts, media representatives and Hossein Shariatmadari, editor-in-chief of the Iranian newspaper Kayhan. The list also includes Mohsen Araki, a member of Iran's Assembly of Experts, and Abdolhossein Khosropanah, secretary of Iran's Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution.

The latest reciprocal diplomatic protests add to tensions between the neighbouring countries, which have repeatedly disagreed over regional security, religious influence and geopolitical developments in the South Caucasus.