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Iran: Detente With Arab States, Discord With Azerbaijan

The April 11 edition of the Iran Media Review examines comments by Iranian officials on the deterioration of Iranian-Azerbaijani ties.

Ali Alfoneh

While Iran appears to be managing its rivalry with the Sunni Arab states, its relations with Shia Azerbaijan are fast deteriorating. Shargh Daily identifies a single explanatory factor for this downturn: an Israeli conspiracy. The reality, however, is more complex. Azerbaijan’s rise as an economic and military power, Armenia’s weakened position, and Russia’s entanglement in the Ukraine war have all contributed to increased tensions in the Caucasus.  

  • April 3: Under the headline “The Destructive Role of Tel Aviv in Baku-Tehran Relations,” Shargh provided a chronology of diplomatic developments and the general deterioration of relations between Iran and Azerbaijan: 
    • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s concerns peaked amid “the agreement between Tehran and Riyadh, along with the continued crisis in Israel, which is why he is concentrating his foreign policy on the Islamic Republic of Iran, which in turn challenges Tehran’s diplomatic efforts … This is particularly true of relations with the Republic of Azerbaijan.” 
    • While “inaugurating the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan” in Tel Aviv, “the Israeli foreign minister overtly said: ‘I discussed establishing a unified front against Iran with the foreign minister of Azerbaijan.’ Nasser Kanani, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, on March 31 demanded an explanation from the government of Azerbaijan and condemned the evil intentions of the Zionist regime to transform the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan into a national security threat to the Islamic Republic of Iran.”  
    • “Tensions created by Baku against Iran in recent days provoked reactions not only from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but also from military commanders.” Brigadier General “Kioumars Heydari, chief of the Islamic Republic of Iran army, said: ‘In the Caucasus, we are facing several very sensitive issues, one of which is the presence of elements of the Zionist regime … This is intolerable for Iran, and we will counter it.’ Heydari also said that terrorists from Syria who served as mercenaries for the government of Azerbaijan in the war against Armenia are still present in the Caucasus region … and warned that Iran will not allow anyone to change the existing borders in the region.” 
    • Shargh concluded: “Tehran can no longer remain an impartial spectator regarding the Republic of Azerbaijan. Tehran’s initiatives do not necessarily indicate increased tensions or the possibility of war with Baku. But the Islamic Republic of Iran, while respecting all its neighbors, must also warn them that it does not take its national interests lightly.” 
Ali Alfoneh

is a senior fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. He is the author of Political Succession in the Islamic Republic of Iran: Demise of the Clergy and the Rise of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (2020).

The views represented herein are the author’s or speaker’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of AGSIW, its staff, or its board of directors.

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