TEHRAN When Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian landed in Baku on Monday, his visit did more than yield seven signed cooperation agreementsit exposed the cracks in a decades-old foreign strategy to Balkanize the Caucasus.As the two nations deepen their strategic ties, the Israeli regimes palpable uneaseexemplified by Prime Minister Netanyahus hastily announced follow-up visit to Azerbaijanlays bare a truth often obscured by geopolitical posturing: the stronger Iran and Azerbaijan grow as partners, the weaker external efforts to pit them against one another become.
This is not merely diplomacyit is a reckoning.Israels pan-Turkist gambit unravelsFor years, Tel Aviv positioned Azerbaijan as a linchpin in its campaign to contain Iran, leveraging arms sales (providing over 60% of Bakus defense imports since the 1990s) and intelligence-sharing facilities near Irans borders.Central to this strategy was amplifying Pan-Turkist narrativesan ideology promoting unity among Turkic-speaking nationsto drive a wedge between Baku and Tehran.As Pezeshkian noted during his visit, however, such efforts ignore an immutable reality: Iran and Azerbaijan are bound by brotherhood, friendship, and familial ties, with shared Shia traditions and Persianate cultural legacies stretching back centuries.The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict revealed the limits of this divide-and-rule approach.
While Azerbaijan celebrated its military successes with Turkey and Israels alleged backing, the subsequent regional instability underscored the risks of overreliance on external actors.Iran, by contrast, positioned itself as a pragmatic mediator, advocating for lasting peacea stance that resonated in Baku as reconstruction challenges mounted.
Brenda Shaffer and the industry of divisionIsraeli scholar Brenda Shaffer epitomizes the intellectual arm of this foreign interference.
Her work, notably the 2002 book Borders and Brethren, has long been weaponized to frame Azerbaijani identity in opposition to Iran, downplaying centuries of coexistence.By making absurd allegations such as cultural genocide against Azerbaijanis in Irana claim refuted by millions of Iranian AzerbaijanisShaffers rhetoric served as a pretext for sanctions campaigns and separatist provocations.Moreover, Shaffer and those who share her views fail to recognize that Iranian identity, rooted in one of the worlds oldest civilizations, transcends narrow ethnic and racial divisions.
Imposing a European framework to interpret Iran not only misrepresents its rich cultural tapestry but also undermines any credible analysis of the nations multifaceted heritage.Yet Pezeshkians visit dismantled these narratives.
His meetings with President Ilham Aliyev emphasized cultural synergy.From friction to pragmatism: Security beyond proxiesSkeptics often cite incidents like the 2023 incident in Azerbaijans embassy in Tehran as evidence of irreparable tensions.
Yet both nations have deliberately sidestepped such flare-ups to prioritize shared interests.Collaboration on border security, counterterrorism, and other issues reflects a pragmatic understanding: regional stability cannot be outsourced.For Azerbaijan, this partnership reduces dependence on Turkish and Israeli security guarantees, bolstering its autonomy.For Iran, it secures its northwestern flank while countering U.S.-led sanctions through increased trade.Netanyahus anachronistic counterplayIsraels anxiety is palpable.
Once able to position Azerbaijan as a listening post against Iran, Tel Aviv now watches as Baku negotiates directly with Tehran on everything from Caspian pollution to transit corridors.The proposed Zangezur routea transportation link connecting Azerbaijan to Turkeywas initially touted as a Pan-Turkic project, excluding Iran.Now, Tehrans involvement in talks underscores a stark shift: Azerbaijan no longer requires Israel as an intermediary.Netanyahus announced rushed visit feels increasingly desperate.Meanwhile, Irans focus on infrastructure, such as expanding the North-South Transport Corridor to connect the Caucasus to the Persian Gulf, threatens to marginalize Israels periphery doctrine, which relies on encircling Tehran with hostile neighbors.Additionally, Pezeshkians consultations with the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, before the trip were no mere formality.We emphasized the necessity for deepening and strengthening the relations between the two countries, the Iranian president said about his meeting with the leader before visiting Baku.Israels scramble to reassert influence, exemplified by Netanyahus reactive diplomacy, underscores a fading era.
The Caucasus no longer needs translators.
In Baku and Tehran, the future is being written in a language of kinship that outsiders struggle to comprehend..
This article first appeared/also appeared in Tehran Times