Court Review — March 16–19, 2026

Reports that Israel carried out strikes overnight on Wednesday against Iranian military targets on the Caspian Sea signal a potential expansion of the conflict beyond its traditional Middle Eastern theater and heighten risks for energy infrastructure and transit routes in the South Caucasus. According to media reports, the strikes targeted not civilian vessels but several Iranian naval ships. Up to five units are said to have been hit in the area of the northern port of Bandar Anzali, although there has been no official confirmation from either side and details on the extent of the damage remain limited.

At first glance, the current tensions surrounding Iran resist the conventional definition of war. There is no formal declaration, no continuous фронт, no массовая мобилизация. Instead, what emerges from the world’s leading media ecosystems is a more ambiguous reality: a layered conflict, conducted through proxies, calibrated strikes and strategic signalling. It is, in effect, a managed confrontation with the constant risk of miscalculation.

Azerbaijan has adopted a new national standard on sustainable event management, AZS ISO 20121, in a move aimed at aligning its rapidly growing events industry with international sustainability principles and strengthening its position as a global host of major forums.

Azerbaijan and Japan are taking steps to strengthen bilateral trade relations following the signing of a cooperation memorandum between the state-backed Azexport platform and Japan’s Shinseikai business network, which объединяет more than 5,000 companies. The agreement aims to expand access for Azerbaijani products to the Japanese market and promote direct business-to-business (B2B) links.