Azerbaijan arrests scores of suspected Iranian spies

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 07 Feb 2023 by Alex Teddy
On February 1 about 40 people were arrested and accused of espionage and using Islam to promote a pro-Iranian message. Most of them are Azerbaijanis. The suspects were in Baku and other cities. Iran has not commented on the arrests. Relations between Azerbaijan and Iran are often fractious. Though both are Shia Muslim, the former is secular and the latter is a theocracy. There is a border dispute with them.  Baku is deeply suspicious of Iran because of Iran's close ties with Armenia. Moreover, Iran's sales of drones to Russia show that Iran is friendlier with Russia than ever.  Baku is wary of provoking Iran, which has 80 million people to Azerbaijan's 10 million. Azerbaijan's ally Turkey would be way of taking on Iran. Turkey and Iran sometimes see eye to eye, such as supporting Qatar against Saudi Arabia. On January 27 a security guard was killed outside the Azerbaijani Embassy in Teheran.

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