What is Iran's Real Goal?

According to the "Haykakan Zhamanak" newspaper, Tehran is set to participate in the reconstruction efforts of the territories liberated by Azerbaijan. This was announced yesterday in Baku by Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during a meeting with Ilham Aliyev.

Baku is the first stop of Zarif’s regional visit, after which he will travel to Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Turkey. It is noteworthy that Iran is the only country in the region that borders all parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict—Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Nagorno-Karabakh itself. According to experts, Iranian authorities are also concerned about the presence of Syrian mercenaries in these regions, who were part of forces opposing those backed by Iran in the war in Syria.

Caucasus expert Vladimir Sazhin expressed in an interview with the "Haykakan Zhamanak" newspaper that these working visits are attempts by Iran to strengthen its positions in the region. "I believe that economic issues will be resolved, and naturally discussions will include the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh and other political issues. Iran wants to demonstrate its influence on the situation existing in the Caucasus, as Russia and Turkey played roles in the resolution of this question," noted the Caucasus expert.

It is worth adding that Zarif's next stop is Moscow; he is scheduled to visit Yerevan tomorrow, on January 27. For more details, refer to today’s edition of the "Haykakan Zhamanak" newspaper.