Link to article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/13/azerbaijan-iran-agree-to-mend-ties-through-dialogue
After a period of hostile relations Iran and Azerbaijan have agreed to resolve their issues through diplomatic means. Tensions between Iran and Azerbaijan originate from Iran backing Armenia in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict dating back to the 90s and have steadily increased over time with Iran’s regional enemy Israel supplying Azerbaijan with drones and military equipment in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War which ended in an Azerbaijani victory. There has also recently been an increasing Israeli military presence in Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan also imposing a road tax on Iranian trucks passing through areas it regained in their war with Armenia. In early October Iran also held military exercises on their border with Azerbaijan, further increasing tensions between the two countries.
This story is important because Iran is currently fighting for influence in the region with Saudi Arabia and Israel. With Israel having a base of operations in Azerbaijan they would have a large advantage over Iran in a possible conflict because they would be able to have troops right on Iran’s border. This means Iran is trying to increase their relations with Azerbaijan to maybe try and remove Israel’s influence on Azerbaijan and possibly add them to Iran’s sphere of influence. Iran may also be trying to improve relations with Azerbaijan because they have a large minority Azeri population that may not be happy with the Irainian government if tensions with Azerbaijan keep increasing.
This article is relevant to class because Iran and Azerbaijan have agreed to enter diplomatic discussions in order to reduce tensions between the two countries and help increase the stability of the region. Iran is also trying to prevent Israel from having a military ally and military presence on their border which would be a large victory for Israel in their ongoing war of influence in the middle east and central asia. Iran is also trying to prevent possible unrest in their Azeri minority population.