Protests In Two Iranian Cities In Support Of Azerbaijan
Images on social media Thursday evening showed protests in Tehran and Tabriz in support of the Republic of Azerbaijan in its military conflict with Armenia.
The videos show protesters chanting “(Nagorno-) Karabakh is ours, it will remain ours” and “Karabakh or death” in Azeri language.
There were also some clashes between the protesters and the security forces that tried to disperse the crowd.
On Wednesday, the organizers had published posters on social media calling for gatherings to protest in support of Azerbaijan.
At the same time, several representatives of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, in four of Azeri-majority provinces of Iran released a joint statement in support of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Representatives of Ali Khamenei in East Azarbaijan, West Azarbaijan Zanjan, and Ardebil said in the statement that there is no doubt that Karabakh belongs to the Republic of Azerbaijan and it has been occupied and must be returned to Azerbaijan.
Calling Azerbaijani casualties in the war “martyrs,” the statement highlighted Iran’s consistent support for the territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan. “The occupation of Azerbaijan [by Armenia] would have extended to Baku [the Azerbaijani capital] if it weren’t for the support of the Islamic Republic when Karabakh was first occupied,” they said, referring to Armenia’s intervention in the early 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The statement goes on to say that Iran has “generously” granted access to Nakhchivan road to Azerbaijan.
The media of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Iran’s pan-Turkish groups have accused Iran of assisting Armenia and allowing Russia to transit military equipment to Armenia through Iran. Iranian officials, including President Hassan Rouhani's Chief of Staff Ali Vaezi, have vehemently denied this.
The statement comes at a time when the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs already announced that the Islamic Republic’s policy is to “help and facilitate dialogue between two sides”.
On Thursday, as the military conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia entered its fifth day, the presidents of US, France, and Russia released a joint statement calling on the two countries to cease the conflict immediately.
PThe statement called for an “immediate ceasefire” between Azerbaijan and Armenia and asked them to begin negotiations to end the conflict without preconditions.
Macron said on Thursday that Azerbaijan’s aggression is unjustifiable and said he has irrefutable evidence that shows “Syrian jihadi fighters” have left Syria to fight in the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.
In the past three decades, there have been several heavy military conflicts in Nagorno-Karabakh and almost 30,000 were killed in these conflicts.

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Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh on Saturday warned “all sides” involved in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict against violating Iranian territory. At least a dozen mortar shells fired by Azerbaijani and Armenian forces have hit Iranian villages since heavy military clashes broke out between Iran’s two neighbors last Sunday [September 27].

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has been monitoring the movements in border areas with great sensitivity,” Khatibzadeh told reporters. “We seriously warn all sides to take the necessary precautions...”

Iranian news agencies have reported that stray mortar shells have injured a six-year-old child in Iran. The shelling has alarmed border-area villagers and led some to flee their homes, Mehr News Agency reported on Saturday. Mehr suggested that mortar fire threatened to damage the Mil-o-Moghan Dam (also known as Aras Dam) in the Aslandouz region, Ardebil Province, a dam built by Iran and Azerbaijan and used jointly.

Iran has stressed the importance of respecting Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and while it has good relations with Armenia, Tehran has always regarded the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh - since the 199os a de facto independent entity led by ethnic Armenians - as Azerbaijani territory in line with the United Nations. Since the recent fighting erupted, Iran has called on both parties to end the clashes and resolve the conflict through negotiations.

The United States has also urged the two countries’ leaders to accept a ceasefire, while on Friday the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned “third parties” to stay out of the conflict, remarks seen by some analysts as a reference to Turkey, which openly supports Azerbaijan. On Saturday [October 3], 60 US lawmakers published a letter calling for Washington to condemn Turkey and Azerbaijan and to end security assistance to Baku.

Armenia on Friday said it was ready for ceasefire talks, but Azerbaijan has yet not accepted a ceasefire or mediation.

Iran is nervous over the conflict given its own Azeri population – at least 20% of 84 million Iranians – have cultural, linguistic and religious links with Azerbaijan, and the Iranian authorities have this week arrested some protesting in support of Azerbaijan. Russia meanwhile supports Armenia.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday demanded an explanation from Turkey after reports it has arranged the sending of 300 militants from the Syrian city of Aleppo to fight against Armenia. Turkey’s President Recep Erdogan is keen to link up with a fellow Turkic people, but both Azerbaijan and Turkey have denied allegations that Syria-based Sunni jihadists have joined the fight against Armenian forces.
#iran #Armenia #Azerbaijan #ceasefire