Azeri embassy set to reopen in Iran
The Cradle, July 9, 2024 —
The embassy was closed after a violent attack on its premises in last year
The Azeri embassy in Tehran is set to reopen in 15-20 days, according to Mojtaba Damirchiloo, the Head of the Eurasian Department at Iran’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, as reported by Iranian media.
Damirchiloo stated that Tehran has yet to designate a new ambassador to Azerbaijan.
The Iranian official mentioned that the appointment of a new ambassador will be addressed after the establishment of a new government in Iran.
The embassy was closed after a violent attack on its premises on 27 January last year. During the attack, a gunman armed with an automatic rifle stormed the embassy, killing the head of security and wounding two other guards. The attacker, an Iranian man married to an Azerbaijani woman, was arrested, and Iranian authorities claimed his motives were personal. However, Azerbaijan labeled the incident as a terrorist act, holding Iran responsible and accusing it of encouraging the attack.
Iran and Azerbaijan’s political relations have fluctuated due to Iran’s concerns over Baku’s ties with Tel Aviv and the west, alongside their shared interest in regional stability and economic cooperation, particularly in the energy and transportation sectors. Border security and the Nagorno–Karabakh conflict have also influenced their interactions.
According to an Al Mayadeen report, the Iranian government expelled four Azeri diplomats in May as a response to Baku’s expulsion of Iranian diplomats from its territory in early April.
During this period, tensions between Baku and Tehran intensified as Tehran accused Baku of promoting a hostile media campaign and sought clarification from Azerbaijani officials about their country’s antagonistic collaboration with Israel, despite both sides’ efforts to improve bilateral relations through foreign ministry talks.
Despite Tehran’s mistrust of Baku due to its close ties with Tel Aviv, Azerbaijan assured Iran that it would not permit the Israeli military to use its territory as a refueling base for any future attack against Iran, contrary to earlier reports.
In recent years, Azerbaijan has emerged as Israel’s largest oil supplier, while Israel has become Azerbaijan’s main arms supplier. According to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, from 2016 to 2020, Israel provided 69% of Azerbaijan’s major arms imports.