Azerbaijan Raises Stakes and Organizes Provocation at Its Embassy in Tehran: Tolishmedia

The escalation of Iran-Azerbaijan relations resembles a casino where all participants continuously raise the stakes. The confrontation has already taken on a systemic nature. Primarily, the escalation is linked to the altered dynamics in the South Caucasus post the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, writes Tolishmedia.

“Iran, dissatisfied with the outcomes of the war, is opening a consulate in Syunik, and Armenia supports and announces the opening of a consulate in Tabriz (the location is quite symbolic, as Tabriz is the main city of Azerbaijanis in Iran). Azerbaijan is raising the stakes and organizing provocations at its embassy in Tehran, where an Iranian Azerbaijani has shot at Baku's Azerbaijanis, suspecting them of kidnapping his wife (simply what sounds like a joke). Furthermore, Aliyev is almost openly discrediting the Shiites of Baku, despite the Ayatollah's curses and the threats from the IRGC. In response, the Iranians are agitating the Baku residents with military maneuvers at the border. By the way, Iran has yet to ratify the 2018 convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea, causing the international legal document to lack legal force, and Baku cannot conduct shelf exploration in disputed maritime areas,” the publication notes.

The author of the article asserts that the second phase of tension began after Netanyahu, referred to as Biby, returned to power in Israel, known for his radical views on resolving the “Iranian issue” and his influence on the Aliyev-Pashayeva families. The stakes are rising again.

“Recently, Aliyev made the following statement against Iran: 'We have always responded and will respond to any anti-Azerbaijani actions, be they statements or actions. We will do everything to protect our way of life, the secular vector of development for Azerbaijan and Azerbaijanis, including Azerbaijanis living in Iran. They are part of our nation.'

“What does Aliyev mean when he talks about his way of life that he wants to protect from Iran—corruption, nepotism, oppression of Shiites, appropriation of natural resources, or perhaps the absence of pensions and benefits? Or maybe prostitution, sodomy, and alcohol at every turn? Considering that there are at least 15 million Azerbaijanis living in Iran, it is more likely that Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei is the leader of the Azerbaijani people, rather than Aliyev. Moreover, unlike the Kurdish Aliyev, the Ayatollah is a pure-blooded Azerbaijani,” concludes the author.