Azerbaijani Authorities Arrest at Least 9 Individuals on Suspicion of Ties to the Islamic Republic

Azerbaijani authorities announced on Tuesday that at least 9 of their citizens have been arrested on suspicion of connections to the secretive organizations of the Islamic Republic and planning for a coup and assassination. This marks the latest round of tensions between Baku and Tehran since the beginning of the new year and following the expulsion of diplomats from both countries. According to a joint statement from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Security Service, and the Office of the Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan, police forces arrested this group who were 'working for the intelligence services of Iran.' The statement listed the names of these 9 individuals and mentioned that several others have also been detained. It is claimed that the detainees were engaged in activities aimed at 'the violent overthrow of the government and the assassination of prominent figures and senior officials.' Ilham Aliyev, the President of Azerbaijan, came to power after the death of his father, Heydar Aliyev, in 2003. The recent wave of arrests follows the detention of six Azerbaijani nationals in a separate case in April, who were also accused of being 'hired by Iranian intelligence services to destabilize the country.' Earlier, U.S. officials had arrested an armed Azerbaijani national near the home of Masih Alinejad in New York. Relations between Azerbaijan and Iran faced tensions in January following an armed attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran, where an Iranian man killed a diplomat and injured two embassy guards. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry held Iran responsible for this incident, while the Iranian Foreign Ministry denied it. Subsequently, Iran expelled four Azerbaijani diplomats in May, claiming this action was 'in response' to the expulsion of staff from the Islamic Republic's embassy in Baku in April. Meanwhile, the increasing relations between Israel and Azerbaijan have heightened tensions between Tehran and Baku. Aliyev stated that predicting the future of relations between Iran and Azerbaijan is very complex.