Why is Iran in Conflict with Azerbaijan?

Escalation of conflict with Azerbaijan prompts Iran to mobilize war soldiers

Since Friday (01/10), Iran has held large-scale war games in the border area with Azerbaijan. The Revolutionary Guards announced that the drills would involve drones, helicopters, tanks and artillery guns.

The simulation of war on the border strongly reflects the escalation of conflict between the two countries since the end of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh. Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh dismissed concerns in Baku and stressed that the drills focused on the defense aspect.

“The exercise in the southwest region is a matter of sovereignty,” he said. “We will take all necessary steps to protect national security,” he added.

The plan was previously criticized by Azerbaijan’s President, Ilham Aliyev. He said the exercises by the Revolutionary Guards were “a shocking event.”

“Every country has the right to hold military exercises in its own region. That’s their sovereignty. But why now, and why near our borders?,” he asked in an interview with Turkey’s Anadolu news agency, Monday (27/9).

This is the first time Iran holding war games on the northern border with Azerbaijan since more than 30 years.

Closure of trade corridor

Relations between Iran and its neighbor in the northeast changed much after the end of the war in Nagorno Karabakh. While it supports Baku’s territorial claims to the mountainous region, Tehran tends to defend Armenia, which is close to Russia.

The closeness between Tehran and Yerevan has strengthened especially since the beginning of 2021. Last July, the two countries forged a free trade agreement, which was reinforced by Armenia’s stance on ignoring US economic sanctions.

But the war in Nagorno shifted the frontier south of the Caucasus. The route that connects the cities of Goris and Kapan in Armenia, for example, is now controlled by Azerbaijan. The case is that the route is one of the closest trade corridors for Iran to access West Asia and Russia.

The escalation peaked when a few weeks ago the Azerbaijani military arrested an Iranian truck driver, and began to impose customs duties on the transportation of goods from the mullah’s country.

“This is not the first time Iranian trucks have traveled illegally to the Karabakh area,” Aliyev told Anadolu. “This is something that happened repeatedly during the Armenian occupation,” he added.

Around 60 Iranian trucks were sanctioned by Azerbaijani customs officials for illegal crossings between August and September. “We started to enforce controls, and since then Iranian trucks have not come again.”

Proximity to Israel

Relations between the two countries have increasingly strained since Baku pivoted to the US, and consolidated diplomatic relations with Israel. Since last July Azerbaijan officially has a representative office, and in the future intends to open an embassy in Jerusalem.

Israel reportedly sold a lot of weapons to Azerbaijan for the war in Nagorno Karabakh. Especially the use of Israeli-made drones is believed to be one of the decisive factors in Azerbaijan’s victory over Armenia.

The Institute for Near East Policy, a pro-Israel think tank in the US, confirmed that the Israeli military even has wiretapping posts inside Azerbaijan, near the Iranian border.

“Of course Iran will not allow the existence of the Zionist regime near our borders,” said foreign ministry spokesman Khatibzadeh. “And in this regard, we will take necessary measures to protect national security,” he added.

Following the announcement of the military exercise, the ambassadors of Israel and the United States demonstratively visited Krasnaya Sloboda Village on Thursday (30/9). The village houses the largest Kavkaz Jewish community in Azerbaijan.

rzn / hp (ap, afp, anadolu, irna)

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