8. 8. 2023

This episode of The IR thinker explores the complex relationship between Iran and Azerbaijan, tracing its historical roots and examining how ethnicity, geography and regional rivalries shape contemporary relations. The discussion considers the position of the Azeri minority in Iran, the Huseyniyyun Brigade, the Zangezur corridor, the Caspian Sea, Iran’s security ties with Armenia and Israel’s evolving role in the South Caucasus.

Alexander Grinberg

Alexander Grinberg is an Iran expert at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security and a captain (res.) in the Israel Defense Forces Military Intelligence research department. He holds degrees in Middle East and Islamic studies, and in Arabic language and literature, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and is a doctoral student in Iranian history at Tel Aviv University.

Content

00:00 Introduction
01:01 Overview of Iran-Azeri Relations
10:08 The Azeri Minority in Iran
15:28 Reasons Behind Iran’s Avoidance of Direct Confrontation with Azerbaijan
22:52 The Huseyniyyun Brigade
27:57 The Zangezur Corridor
29:36 Georgia’s Role in Iran-Azeri Relations
32:18 Geopolitics of the Caspian Sea
34:28 Iranian Secret Service Operations in Azerbaijan
37:54 Ensuring Armenian Security for Iranian Interests
40:44 The Relationship between Israel and Armenia
42:59 The Significance of the Nakhchivan Region
48:07 Iran’s Military Base in Armenia
49:40 Major Global Powers and Their Influence in the Caucasus
52:55 Israeli Foreign Policy vis-à-vis Azerbaijan
56:12 Azeri Foreign Policy and Its Stance towards Israel