Baku: Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa's visit to Baku last weekend has sparked significant reactions and strategic recalculations within Iranian media, as the meeting highlighted a shift in regional alliances. Official statements from the meeting between Sharaa and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev underscored the beginning of a new era in Syrian-Azerbaijani relations. Both leaders attributed previous stagnation to the policies of ousted President Bashar al-Assad and committed to restoring and deepening bilateral cooperation.
According to Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty, the visit resulted in an agreement to export Azerbaijani gas to Syria via Turkey, addressing Syria's ongoing energy crisis. Additionally, reports indicated that Syrian and Israeli officials possibly met on the sidelines of the trip, an event facilitated by Azerbaijan, a key ally of Israel in the region. This alleged meeting has further fueled Tehran's concerns.
Arman-e Melli, a pro-reform newspaper, suggested that the developing relationship between Damascus and Baku may include the transfer of Syria-based fighters through Turkey to bases in Azerbaijan. The newspaper speculated that this move aims to destabilize areas along the borders of Iran and Russia, as well as target the broader axis of China, Russia, and Iran. The conservative newspaper Farhikhtegan echoed these sentiments, proposing that Sharaa might be responding to a US demand to remove foreign fighters from Syria, positioning Azerbaijan as a strategic hub for such operations.
Israeli network i24NEWS, citing an unnamed Syrian source, reported that Israel and the United States decided Baku should host a meeting between Israeli and Syrian officials to deliver a message to Iran. Iran's state broadcaster-run Jam-e Jam newspaper, referencing this report, accused Azerbaijan of collaborating with Israel in anti-Iranian activities, particularly during the recent war, and named Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Israel as shaping new dynamics against Iranian interests.
Jam-e Jam argued that Iran must protect its national interests through diplomatic and security measures, suggesting stronger ties with neighbors like Armenia and Russia and a firm stance against Azerbaijan's actions. Iran has grown increasingly wary of Azerbaijan's deepening ties with Israel, especially their defense collaboration and Azerbaijan's opening of an embassy in Tel Aviv in 2023.
Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian recently urged Aliyev to investigate claims of Israeli drones entering Iranian airspace via Azerbaijani territory during a brief war that ended in a ceasefire on June 24. Aliyev denied these accusations, asserting his government would not allow Azerbaijani territory to be used against Iran.