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Source: https://www.arabnews.com/node/1945946
Growing Azerbaijan-Iran Tensions
(Arab News-Saudi Arabia) Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami - Azerbaijan decided last month to levy customs tariffs on Iranian trucks crossing through its territory into Armenia. Tehran has embarked on consultations with Armenia over completing its Tatev road project, which would connect it with Armenia and Europe without the need to pass through Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has accused Iran of sending help to Armenians living in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which Baku regained from Armenia following last year's war. Azerbaijan, Turkey and Pakistan also recently held joint military drills in the Caspian Sea. Meanwhile, on Sep. 19, Iran mobilized its forces on the border with Azerbaijan, where they carried out drills involving heavy weapons and helicopters for the first time. There have been radical calls by some Iranian lawmakers to annex Azerbaijan under the pretext that it was historically part of the Persian Empire and was "taken away" by the Russian Empire in the 19th century. In Baku, angry protesters attacked the Iranian Embassy in protest against Tehran's threats. Azerbaijani authorities also shut down the office of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's representative. It could be said that Iran is getting a taste of its own medicine after spending decades undermining the security and stability of its neighbors. Tehran has created a new enemy on its northern border. The writer is president of the International Institute for Iranian Studies in Riyadh.