Azerbaijan has closed a mosque and an office linked to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, amid simmering tensions between the two neighbours. The move comes following military drills conducted by Iran near the 700-kilometre border with Azerbaijan last week.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency said on Tuesday that the Husseiniyya mosque and the office of Khamenei’s representative in Baku were “sealed and closed” by Azerbaijani authorities. Azerbaijan’s Interior Ministry stated that the decision was made following reports of a surge in COVID-19 cases. “Husseiniyya Mosque is one of the places where the coronavirus has been spreading in recent days. Appropriate measures are being taken by the epidemiological service,” it stated.
Last week, Iran began massive military exercises near the Azerbaijani border; the drills involved the use of artillery, tanks, drones, and helicopters, and once again raised concerns in Azerbaijan about Iran’s motives. On September 28, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev questioned Iran’s decision to hold drills close to the border, and asked: “Why now? Why exactly on our border?” Aliyev noted that he was “very surprised” by Iran’s decision to stage exercises “after we [Azerbaijan] have liberated our lands and put an end to 30 years of bondage and occupation,” referring to last year’s war between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, which was decisively won by Azerbaijan.
The Iranian drills come at a time when Azerbaijan began charging Iranian truck drivers fees for passing through the disputed Karabakh region, which Baku claims is a part of its sovereign territory. According to Armenian media, the trucks were transporting cement to Armenia. Azerbaijan said the trucks had “illegally entered” Karabakh and called it a “disrespect” to its territorial integrity.
However, Iran claims that the exercises were “a sovereign issue and aimed at protecting regional security.” Iran is also wary of Azerbaijan’s deep military ties with its arch-enemy Israel and has claimed that the exercises are meant as a warning to Israel. “We do not tolerate the presence and activity against our national security of the Zionist regime, or Israel, next to our borders,” Iranian Foreign Minister (FM) Hossein Amir Abdollahian said last week. He added that “Iran will carry out any necessary action in this regard.”
Azerbaijan, however, has denied any Israeli presence in its territory. On Monday, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Leyla Abdullayeva said, “We do not accept the allegations about the presence of any third forces near the Azerbaijan-Iran border.” Noting that “such allegations are baseless,” she said that “no evidence has been presented to the Azerbaijani side so far.”
Meanwhile, responding to Iranian war games along its border, Azerbaijan is holding joint exercises with its all-weather friend Turkey along the Nakhchivan exclave bordering Iran from October 5-8. Moreover, the defence ministers of Azerbaijan and Turkey met in Georgia on Tuesday to discuss the drills in Nakhchivan and cooperation in military and security fields. According to reports, Azerbaijan is also considering buying Israel’s Arrow-3 missile defence system as a response to Iran’s military manoeuvres.
On the other hand, Iran has been intensifying its engagement with Armenia. On Monday, the Iranian and Armenian FMs met in Tehran to discuss bilateral ties. Iranian FM Abdollahian stated that Iran considers its borders with Armenia “as borders for interaction and cooperation” and blamed Israel’s “destructive” activities for a rise in tensions in the region. Moreover, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has expressed his country’s support for Iran and vowed that Armenia “will never be involved in any conspiracy against Iran.”
While Tehran’s relations with Baku have mostly been positive, the former has expressed concerns over Azerbaijan’s ties with Israel, especially in terms of military and security. Israel is one of the leading suppliers of drones and other weapons to Azerbaijan, used against Armenia in last year’s Nagorno-Karabakh war. Azerbaijan has also been wary of Iran’s strong strategic partnership with rival Armenia and has even accused Tehran of tacitly supplying arms to Baku.
Azerbaijan Closes Mosque, Office Linked to Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei Amid Tensions
The move comes after Iran conducted military drills near Azerbaijan’s border.
October 6, 2021
Iranian Army tanks line up during military exercises near the border with Azerbaijan SOURCE: IRANIAN ARMY