Azerbaijan and Iran Hold Military Drills amidst Apparent Détente

“To be honest, the two countries’ foreign policies are opposite to each other. For me, it is a tactical act through which Azerbaijan and Iran would like to send a message,” he said, adding that Iranian–Azerbaijani relations were an act of “balance” based on developments in the Middle East.

However, with Israel’s war in Gaza continuing, Ahmadzada argued that Israel might find itself at odds with Azerbaijan’s other partners and allies, such as Turkey and Pakistan, which might, in turn, push Azerbaijan to develop closer ties to Iran.

Ahmadzada also highlighted Iran’s drone and missile strike against Israel in April, which he believed demonstrated to Azerbaijani experts and analysts that it was capable of direct military strikes rather than relying on proxies in Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, and Iraq.

“This shows that against our cultural point of view, Iran thinks that foreign policy can show its strength. And these facts made Azerbaijan reconsider Iran; to force Azerbaijan to be careful,” he told OC Media. “It feels like in the political vision of both countries, security is important in foreign policy. Azerbaijan cares about Iran’s view of the South Caucasus and wants to avoid this. Iran is trying to have the last say in this region.”

On the other hand, Ahmadzada highlighted that 25–30 million ethnic Azerbaijanis live in Iran’s northwest, which he said could have influenced Tehran’s decision to ease diplomatic tensions with Azerbaijan.

Tensions deepened between Azerbaijan and Iran following the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020 as the authorities in Azerbaijan began to periodically crack down on and arrest members of its Shia community on suspicion of spying for Iran.