Islamic republic of Iran, Shiism, Azerbaijan, and the Azerbaijan-Armenia War: A Multifaceted Policy and Pragmatic Islamism
Islamic republic, as the largest Shiite-majority country in the world, has consistently positioned itself as the guardian of Shiism on the international stage. Its foreign policy is based on the principles of velayat-e faqih (guardianship of the Islamic jurist) and the ideology of the Islamic Republic, which blends religion and politics. In this context, Iran places significant emphasis on supporting groups and countries that share religious ties with it. However, in practice, Iran's foreign policy is more complex than simply supporting countries that share the same religious affiliation. This becomes especially evident in Iran’s relations with Azerbaijan and in the Azerbaijan-Armenia war.
Iran and Shiism: Pragmatic Islamism
In its foreign policy, Iran primarily focuses on strategic and geopolitical interests rather than just religious commonalities. This can be observed in Iran’s policies towards various countries, especially Azerbaijan. While Iran presents itself as the principal advocate for Shiites around the world, it adopts very cautious policies in relation to Azerbaijan, which is also a Shiite-majority country.
In fact, Iran often follows a policy of pragmatic Islamism, especially in geopolitical and regional matters. This means that Iran determines its relations based on its strategic priorities rather than mere religious ties. This approach has led Iran to distance itself from non-Shiite countries or even from those that share the same religion, such as Azerbaijan, when its national and security interests are at stake.
Iran-Azerbaijan Relations: Religious and Political Contradictions
Azerbaijan is a Shiite-majority country and shares many religious similarities with Iran. However, in recent decades, particularly after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan has pursued a secular and independent policy. Azerbaijan has especially close relations with Turkey, which also considers itself a regional power and has extensive cooperation with NATO and Western countries. These relationships have raised concerns in Iran about the expansion of Turkish and Western influence in Azerbaijan.
As a result, Iran did not directly support Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh war, even though both countries are Shiite-majority. Instead, at certain times, Iran provided indirect support to Armenia, which has close ties with Russia. This demonstrates that Iran’s relationship with Azerbaijan is more influenced by political and strategic considerations than by religious affiliation.
The Azerbaijan-Armenia War: Iran’s Cautious Policy and Support for Armenia
The Nagorno-Karabakh war between Azerbaijan and Armenia in recent years presented Iran with an opportunity to assess its policies toward its neighboring countries. Iran typically seeks to prevent the escalation of tensions in the region, as any instability in the Caucasus could threaten Iran's security. Iran is particularly concerned about the influence of Turkey and NATO in the region, and since Azerbaijan has close ties with Turkey, this issue raises sensitivities for Iran.
On the other hand, Iran has strong relations with Armenia. As Armenia is an ally of Russia, it is considered a strategic partner for Iran. Iran seeks to strengthen these relations, particularly in the fields of security and economics. This partnership leads Iran to support Armenia, even in the face of religious differences between the two countries.
Iran's Multifaceted Policy in the Caucasus: Security Priorities Based on National Interests
Iran consistently employs a multifaceted approach in its foreign policy. While Iran traditionally supports Shiite groups in the region, these support efforts are always influenced by geopolitical interests.
In the Nagorno-Karabakh war, instead of supporting Azerbaijan, Iran indirectly supported Armenia because it has significant interests in maintaining strategic relations with Armenia and strengthening its cooperation with Russia.
Iran is also concerned that the expansion of Turkish influence in the Caucasus could pose a security threat to its northern borders. Therefore, Iran has focused its policies on maintaining regional balance and preventing instability. As a result, despite religious commonalities between Iran and Azerbaijan, Tehran is more focused on safeguarding its strategic and security interests than supporting Azerbaijan solely due to religious affiliation.
Iran and Pragmatic Shiite Foreign Policy
Iran's foreign policy toward Azerbaijan and Armenia clearly reflects Tehran's multifaceted approach and pragmatic Islamism. In its relations with Azerbaijan, despite religious commonalities, Iran prioritizes its strategic and security interests over mere religious affiliation. This approach was evident in the Azerbaijan-Armenia war, where Iran, instead of supporting Azerbaijan, indirectly supported Armenia in order to secure its national interests in the Caucasus region.
This analysis indicates that Iran's foreign policies are primarily based on strategic and security interests rather than religious ties, and this is clearly observable in its relations with both Azerbaijan and Armenia.
