Tehran is accusing Azerbaijan of complicity in Zionism and allowing Israeli intelligence to use Azeri territory to penetrate Iran. Last week a note of protest was handed to the Azeri ambassador in Tehran in this connection.
As Islamic Republic News Agency reports, “strong protest was expressed to the Azeri ambassador over the fact that terrorist elements complicit in the murder of Iranian scientists transferred through the Republic of Azerbaijan and due to the support of Mossad Israel’s intelligence [Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations] were able to freely travel to Tel-Aviv”.
The Iranian intelligence service reportedly possesses data on the presence of Israeli intelligence entities located between Lerik region and border town Astara.
Samed Seidov, head of the Parliamentary committee on International affairs of Azerbaijan, told Turan Information Agency that Baku is planning on developing neighborly relations with Iran, “despite the fact that Tehran is developing relations with Armenia to the detriment of Azerbaijan's interests”.
“However, Iran's attempts to interfere with Azerbaijan's domestic affairs do not help the bilateral relations, whereas official Baku constantly holds an objective stand towards Iran,” said Seidov.
Garnik Asatryan, expert in Iranian studies at Yerevan State University, interprets the situation this way: “The Iranian foreign ministry's note of protest against Azerbaijan shows that Tehran has started to take more seriously Azerbaijani authorities’ military-political cooperation with Israel.”
He says that the tensions around Iran-Israel relations have reached their culmination today. “Azerbaijan is meant to play a special role in this confrontation, however it is yet not clear what position Baku will hold should the West launch a war against Iran,” says Asatryan, adding that Azerbaijan is viewed as a jumping-point for Iran’s blockade, deployment of troops and attacking Iran.
American analyst Steven Blank has expressed a similar view (The Washington Times), saying: “Iran's biggest fear is about Azerbaijan's support of Israel and the USA, as well as possible use of Azerbaijan as a platform for American operations against Iran”.
At the same time, the American expert says, “Tehran is confidently supporting Armenia in the Nagorno Karabakh issue, in return Armenia votes against sanctions against Iran at the UN Security Council.”
Armenian experts believe that an armed conflict between the West and Iran is fraught with serious trials challenging all of the countries bordering with Iran, and “Armenia would be affected the most”.
Ruben Safrastyan, heading the Institute of Eastern Studies at the RA National Academy of Sciences, says in case of active hostilities Armenia would be deprived of the most reliable infrastructural exit to the outer world, and would have a huge inflow of Iranian refugees.
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