JP: Iran threatening region, dissatisfied with Israel’s rapprochement with Azerbaijan, Bahrain

The improvement of Israel’s relations with Azerbaijan and Bahrain is clearly opposed by Iran, which is trying to counter Israel’s diplomatic success with threats to its neighbors, Report informs referring to an article in the Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post.

The authors of the article analyze publications in the Iranian press and cite materials that speak of Iran’s concern about Israel’s role in the Caucasus. In particular, a report in Iran’s Fars News on November 13 included a long critique of Azerbaijan’s recent posture, saying that Iran will not tolerate any Israeli presence there near the border.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will not tolerate the presence and activities of the Zionist regime against its national security and will take any necessary measures in this regard.”

Tehran is urging Baku not to enable any foreign countries to influence its policy. This is a response to Azerbaijan’s close ties with Turkiye and Israel.

“Azerbaijan has been sponsoring pro-Israel movements and even the direct presence of Zionism in the region for years,” the report reads. “This country has forgotten that in the serious and historical crises of this region, it was Iran that supported the territorial integrity of this country and did not allow extra-regional powers to disrupt the strategic order of this region.”

Iran’s Tasnim news quoted opposition activists in Bahrain. The overall trend of these two articles is designed to warn both Bahrain and Azerbaijan.

“It is likely not a coincidence that Iran has been talking up new weapons, such as “hypersonic” missiles, in an attempt to strike fear into the region. Tehran has said that its new missiles will soon be able to evade air defense systems, knowing that Israel possesses some of the most advanced ones in the region.

The Islamic Republic has tried to threaten Israel in the past with precision-guided munitions (PGMs). Therefore, the context here is that Iran is seeking to broadcast a message to Azerbaijan and Bahrain, whom it sees now as frontline states, bordering Iran at sea and land on two flanks. The message is that Iran can threaten the region,” reads an article in The Jerusalem Post.

Iran is increasingly concerned about Israel’s connections to both Bahrain and Azerbaijan. This is important to Tehran because it reverses the usual role of Iran in the region, expanding its influence and attacking other countries via proxy groups. Now it is Iran who is facing protests at home and is worried that countries closer to it may be a threat.