Is Iran still a threat to Azerbaijan?

Baku/05.06.23/Turan: According to a report from the IRNA news agency, the cultural representation of Iran in Baku has been closed. An unnamed Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman expressed Iran's intentions to solve problems with its neighbors through dialogue and avoid illogical and tense actions. Iran considered the actions taken by Baku as "one-sided and hasty," believing that dialogue could resolve all issues.

The report states that after the cultural adviser of the Iranian Embassy in Baku was declared persona non grata and expelled from the country, Iran decided to abolish the position altogether.

On June 3, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry issued another warning to its citizens, advising against traveling to Iran. The ministry cited the January terrorist attack at the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran as a reason for restricting the diplomatic mission in Iran. Azerbaijani citizens already in Iran or planning to visit were strongly urged to take extreme precautions and security measures.

This marks the second warning issued by the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry to its citizens regarding Iran. On June 2, a note was handed to Iran concerning the disappearance of an Azerbaijani citizen in the country. Ayhan Hajizade, the head of the Press Service Department of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressed concerns over the arrest of Azerbaijani student Farid Safarli in Iran.

Political commentator Sadraddin Soltan discussed these issues and others in the program "Difficult Question." Soltan believes that the Iranian regime continues to pose threats to the Republic of Azerbaijan and its citizens. He points to violations of the rights of Azerbaijani Turks by the Iranian regime as evidence. Recent events, such as the terrorist attack on the Azerbaijani embassy, repressions against individuals defending Azerbaijani rights, lack of action to prevent the drying of Lake Urmia, and Iran's support for anti-Azerbaijani activities by Armenia, contribute to this view. Soltan also mentioned Iran's creation of the "Huseyniyun," an offshoot of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, which engages in subversive activities against Azerbaijan, and Iran's attempts to expand drug trafficking into Azerbaijan. These actions lead Soltan to assert that Iran is a source of threats to Azerbaijan, in violation of the principles outlined in the Treaty of Friendship and Principles of Cooperation signed in 2002.