Iran-Azerbaijan tensions rise over Israel ties and alleged assassination plot

Iran warns Azerbaijan over its growing ties with Israel as Baku deepens energy cooperation and foils an alleged Iranian-backed terror plot targeting a Jewish community member.

By ALEX WINSTON FEBRUARY 3, 2025 10:14

Former Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi meets with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev on the Azerbaijan-Iran border, May 19, 2024. (photo credit: IRAN'S PRESIDENCY/WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY)/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)

Iran and Azerbaijan are once again at odds over Baku’s growing ties with Israel, with Tehran raising concerns during a high-level meeting between officials from both countries over the weekend.

During talks in Tehran, Kamal Kharrazi, chairman of Iran’s Strategic Council for Foreign Relations and a top advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned Azerbaijan about Israel’s expanding presence in the country.

AR Prezidentinin köməkçisi Hikmət Hacıyev İran İR Xarici Əlaqələr üzrə Strateji Şurasının sədri Kamal Xərrazi ilə görüşüb. Görüşdə iki ölkənin elmi-tədqiqat mərkəzləri və ictimai-siyasi fikir daşıyıcıları arasında əməkdaşlıq və qarşılıqlı səfərlərin təşkili məsələləri vurğulanıb pic.twitter.com/jtms0HfgSt

— Azerbaijan Emb. to Iran (@AzEmbIran) February 2, 2025

"Countries should take their neighbors' sensitivities into consideration," Kharrazi told Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan for Foreign Policy Affairs, according to reports citing the Azeri embassy.

This latest diplomatic spat is part of a long-running tug-of-war between Tehran and Baku. Iran has frequently criticized Azerbaijan for its security and business ties with Israel, while Azerbaijan has accused Iran of interference and inflammatory rhetoric from Iranian religious figures and state-aligned media.

Just last month, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev strongly condemned comments by Seyyed Hassan Ameli, the Friday Prayer Leader of Ardabil, who accused Baku of collaborating with Israel. Aliyev dismissed the remarks as baseless and politically motivated.

FORMER-IRANIAN PRESIDENT Ebrahim Raisi (left) and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev visit the Qiz-Qalasi dam on the Azerbaijan-Iran border on May 19, earlier in the day, before Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash. (credit: Iran’s Presidency/West Asia News Agency/Reuters)

The diplomatic tensions boiled over on January 25, when Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Iran’s chargé d'affaires in Baku to protest what it described as anti-Azerbaijan propaganda in Iranian media.

Beyond the war of words, a real-world security crisis deepened the rift between the two nations. Azerbaijan’s State Security Service (DTX) announced that it had foiled a terror plot targeting a prominent member of the country’s Jewish community.

Authorities arrested Georgian citizen Aqil Aslanov and Azerbaijani citizen Ceyhun Ismayilov near a Jewish center, suspecting them of being part of an assassination plan. Security sources say Aslanov, a known drug trafficker, was recruited by foreign intelligence agents while abroad and was offered $200,000 to carry out the hit.

Azerbaijani intelligence suspects Iranian involvement, specifically through the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which has been linked to past attacks on Jewish, Israeli, and Iranian dissident figures abroad. Officials said the suspects had been tracking the intended target’s movements, including his home, workplace, and daily routines, before their arrest.

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Azerbaijan buys stake in Tamar gas field

Adding to Iran’s frustrations, Azerbaijan has deepened its economic ties with Israel. Just days before the diplomatic meetings, Azerbaijan’s State Oil Company (SOCAR) confirmed that it had purchased a 10% stake in Israel’s offshore gas field Tamar from businessman Aaron Frenkel.

The deal, which brings Azerbaijan into Israel’s energy sector, is expected to have major geopolitical implications, further cementing the growing diplomatic and economic alliance between Baku and Jerusalem.

Iran has long accused Azerbaijan of allowing Israel to operate intelligence and military bases on its soil, claims that Baku has repeatedly denied. In 2023, Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Israel, Mukhtar Mammadov, stated that his country would not permit its territory to be used as a launching ground for Israeli military action against Iran.

Despite the ongoing hostilities, diplomatic engagement continues between Iran and Azerbaijan. During Hajiyev’s visit to Tehran, discussions focused on regional security, academic collaboration, and cooperation between research centers and socio-political institutions.

Hajiyev also met with Mehdi Sanai, Political Advisor to the Iranian President, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to discuss bilateral relations, regional security, and collaboration within international organizations, including the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).

While diplomatic overtures continue, the growing chasm in trust between Iran and Azerbaijan remains deep. Allegations of Iranian-backed plots, accusations of Israeli military cooperation, and the economic alliance between Baku and Jerusalem are fueling tensions.