Azerbaijan has filed a lawsuit against CNN in a US federal court.

Axar.az informs, citing Rеport, that the lawsuit stems from the publication of an article containing the unfounded and provocative claims against the country.

An article published by CNN on June 5, 2026, contained a number of claims alleging that Azerbaijani territory was purportedly used by Israel to conduct military and intelligence operations against Iran.

The article alleged that Israeli special forces were operating at several locations in southern Azerbaijan near the Iranian border, conducting intelligence and drone operations from those sites. It also claimed that Israel had allegedly pre-positioned listening devices and other intelligence equipment in Azerbaijan in preparation for subsequent operations against Iran.

It should be noted that CNN was aware of Azerbaijan's position before publishing the article. In response to a request from CNN, the Azerbaijani side had officially denied the allegations and stated that Azerbaijan does not allow its territory to be used by any third country for military or intelligence purposes against Iran.

Despite this response, however, the article did not adequately reflect Azerbaijan's position, while its main claims were presented on the basis of anonymous sources.

The deliberate publication by CNN of an article containing false claims, despite repeated statements that Azerbaijan does not allow its territory to be used by foreign forces against neighboring or third countries, prompted strong dissatisfaction from the Azerbaijani side.

Following publication, Azerbaijan officially demanded that CNN retract the allegations and correct the article. A relevant statement was also issued by the spokesperson for Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry.

On June 6 and 23, as well as July 2, the Azerbaijani side sent follow-up letters to CNN officially demanding that the claims in the article be retracted and corrections be made.

Although CNN promised to review Azerbaijan's demands, it has taken no action during this period and has not retracted the allegations in question.

Against this backdrop, Azerbaijan filed a lawsuit against CNN in the US District Court for the District of Delaware, the state where the media organization is officially incorporated. The lawsuit was formally filed on August 17, 2026.

One of the authors of the CNN report, Tim Lister, has been known for taking a one-sided approach to Azerbaijan in his previous reports. Articles he published during the 2020 Patriotic War and the 2023 anti-terror operation also contained biased claims against Azerbaijan.