Ahmad Obali, a prominent proponent of Azerbaijani nationalism in Iran and virulent critic of the Islamic Republic, refused to speak about who might have attacked him.
The figurehead president warned that denying EU membership candidate status would embolden Russia and empower the already-ascendant forces of illiberalism in Georgia.
The de facto authorities fortified government buildings in an apparent attempt to prevent a revolution like the ones that overthrew previous governments in 2020 and 2014.
The self-proclaimed environmental activists, who blocked the key road to Nagorno-Karabakh for nearly 140 days, now complain that their government is neglecting them.
Aliyev's threatening rhetoric makes clear his government will ignore exhortations to sit down for talks with representatives of the entity he considers anathema to Azerbaijan.
The region's already meager electricity generation capacity is in jeopardy, and an "environmental disaster" could be at hand, the local de facto authorities say.
