Azerbaijan, Iran and Israel: Uncertain relations

It is worth noting, that religion does not play a role in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. It only happens, that both ethnic groups have different religions. It is a purely ethnic conflict that goes back to the 19th century. Religion is occasionally referenced or abused to garner sympathy.

Likewise, that Iran and Azerbaijan are predominantly Shiite Muslim, is also meaningless, also because Azerbaijan is one of the most irreligious countries in the world. The enmity between Azerbaijan and Iran is ideological, precisely because the former is a strictly secular state and the latter a theocracy. The other major reason for this enmity, is also because Iran has a very large Azeri minority, who make up 20% of its population and who are twice the population of Azerbaijan. Iran fears that Azerbaijan might try to instigate the Iranian Azeris to rise up.

However, the Iranian Azeris are well integrated, many of its past and present rulers are ethnically Azeri, Azerbaijani nationalism and seperatism is a tiny fringe minority among them, and importantly, the vast majority of Iranian Azeris harbor no animosity towards Armenians. After the Russian Empire conquered what is now the Republic of Azerbaijan in the first decade of the 19th century, Azeris on both side of the Araks river were separated, and both societies evolved differently. Unlike Armenians, Azeris on both sides are alien to each other and there are practically no familiy links or other relations with each other. Unlike the Azeris of Azerbaijan, Iranian Azeris are also more religious.

The Azerbaijani-Israeli alliance stems simply due to the animosity of both countries towards Iran, with converging national interests, vis-a-vis the Armenian-Iranian rapprochement, which however has not evolved into an alliance.