Azeri leader says will not join any Iran operation

[Iranian Monitor]

The pro-Israeli 'hawks' who sit around and plot things for the US military to do for them, have been running into huge logistical issues for their rather frightening wish list of what they want the US military to handle next. No country in the region is remotely interested in seeing its security threatened by having anything to do with any military operations against Iran. One of the countries the Israelis were lobbying hard to enlist was Azerbaijan. While the Azerbaijan itself properly belongs to Iran, severed from Iran by the Russians and kept apart now as a result of other machinations, the notion that Azerbaijan could be used against Iran was always nonsensical. The largest Azeri population in the world, counting the so-called Republic of Azerbaijan, live in Iran instead! And all of Azerbaijan was a part of Iran for millenia, until severed from Iran in the 19th century due to wars between Iran and Russia.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1895934&page=1

Azeri leader says will not join any Iran operation

Apr 27, 2006 — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Azeri President Ilham Aliyev, due to meet President Bush on Friday, has ruled out any role for his ex-Soviet state in any potential military operation in neighbor Iran.

"Azerbaijan, of course, will not be engaged in any kind of potential operations against Iran," Aliyev, a fluent English speaker, told a news conference in Washington on Wednesday. "It is time to stop speculating on that issue."
...
Azerbaijan is one of only two majority Muslim states that sent combat troops to help U.S. forces in Iraq.

With a 600-km (370-mile) border with Iran, Azerbaijan's help could be instrumental should the Islamic republic's stand-off with the West over its nuclear programme erupt into a military confrontation.
...
If the row escalates, closing Azerbaijan's border with Iran would be a key part of any blockade to stop Tehran importing goods and weapons. Azerbaijan might be used as a base to launch military action against Iran.

As a Shi'ite Muslim nation, Azerbaijan has ethnic and religious ties to Iran, which would make its support for the action psychologically important.

Many analysts saw a U.S. invitation to Aliyev — despite international criticism of his democracy record — as a sign that Washington wanted to keep him on board with whatever policies it is going to have with regard to Iran.

But Aliyev made clear that a war on the territory of a neighbor and a strong economic partner would seriously jeopardize Azerbaijan's national security.

"We are part of the region," he said. "For us, Iran is not a remote issue, which you watch on TV and can switch to another channel. For us it's an issue of our security."

[BenReilly]

Given the bungling in Iraq, it's understandable that the President of Azerbaijan is cautious. Nevertheless, we have a moral obligation to free the Azeris from Persian occupation.

[touhif]

LOl you gotta know something before you talk about it. Persian occupation of azeribijan? Persia? You mean Iran? iran doesnt occupy azerbijan idiot

[odessit19]

The pro-Israeli 'hawks' who sit around and plot things for the US military to do for them, have been running into huge logistical issues for their rather frightening wish list of what they want the US military to handle next. No country in the region is remotely interested in seeing its security threatened by having anything to do with any military operations against Iran. One of the countries the Israelis were lobbying hard to enlist was Azerbaijan. While the Azerbaijan itself properly belongs to Iran, severed from Iran by the Russians and kept apart now as a result of other machinations, the notion that Azerbaijan could be used against Iran was always nonsensical. The largest Azeri population in the world, counting the so-called Republic of Azerbaijan, live in Iran instead! And all of Azerbaijan was a part of Iran for millenia, until severed from Iran in the 19th century due to wars between Iran and Russia.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1895934&page=1

Being from former USSR myself, I can tell you that Azerbaijan doesn't want any Iranian influence and that they DON'T think they belong to Iran. Unfortunately, Azerbaijan is one of the few free nations remaining in the world, which don't properly belong to mighty Persian empire:eek:

[BenReilly]

LOl you gotta know something before you talk about it. Persian occupation of azeribijan? Persia? You mean Iran? iran doesnt occupy azerbijan idiot

Persians occupy and dominate South Azerbaijan, which must be liberated by any means so Azeris can be free.

[Mani]

Persians occupy and dominate South Azerbaijan, which must be liberated by any means so Azeris can be free.
The entire Azerbaijan region, north and south, is historically a part of Iran. By the way, Iran's head of state, "Supreme Leader" Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is an ethnic Azeri and so is Rahim Safavi, the overall commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and the most important military-security official in the country. That sure is Persian occupation. :rolleyes:

[Iranian Monitor]

Being from former USSR myself, I can tell you that Azerbaijan doesn't want any Iranian influence and that they DON'T think they belong to Iran. Unfortunately, Azerbaijan is one of the few free nations remaining in the world, which don't properly belong to mighty Persian empire:eek:

Yeah, that is why not long ago, during the late Gorbachev period, Iran and Soviet troops had to intervene to prevent the Azeris in northern Azerbaijan in the Nakhchivan region from tearing apart the border posts and checkpoints while chanting they want to rejoin Iran.

Azerbaijan, including the parts now outside of Iran (i.e., northern Azerbaijan), is properly and historically a part of IRAN. Iran's government, frankly, has been extremely timid on this issue. At least so far. That can change.

As far as attitudes towards Iran among the Azeris in northern Azerbaijan, despite two centuries of Russian and Soviet propaganda, and intense efforts since by the Turks, the picture is as follows.

In rural areas in northern Azerbaijan, pro Iranian sentiments and loyalties, mixed in with religious loyalties for their fellow shia brethren, remains strong. In some urban centers, such as Baku, where Soviet propaganda had taken greater hold, the void in the identity crisis felt by the Azeris has been increasingly met by rather superificial pan-Turkic propaganda. Secular, urban, Azeris in places like Baku are admitedly more likely to see their future linked with Turkey than Iran. But they are a misguided minority. Their so called "education" itself in reality reflecting a couple of centuries of "miseducation".

[Shaster]

We just need tell this guy about the new Hilter, then he will be on board. :p

[Iranian Monitor]

http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/section/azerbaij_history.asp

Azerbaijan

AZERBAIJAN [Azerbaijan] , Azeri Azerbaycan, officially Republic of Azerbaijan, republic (2005 est. pop. 7,912,000), 33,428 sq mi (86,579 sq km), in Transcaucasia. Strategically situated at the gateway to SW Asia, Azerbaijan is bounded by Iran on the south, where the Aras (Araks) River divides it from Iranian Azerbaijan; by the Caspian Sea on the east; by Russia's Dagestan Republic on the north; and by Armenia on the west. Baky (Baku) is the capital; other major cities include Gyandzha and Sumqayit .

Land and People

Azerbaijan occupies the western ranges of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus and the Kura River valley. The republic includes the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic (separated from Azerbaijan proper by Armenia) and Nagorno-Karabakh . The Azeri (Azerbaijani), a Turkic-speaking, Shiite Muslim people of Persian culture, make up about 90% of the republic's population; Russians, Armenians (largely in Nagorno-Karabakh), and Dagestanis are the largest minorities.
...
History

The Republic of Azerbaijan comprises the Transcaucasian or northern part of the historic region called Azerbaijan...The territory of the present Azerbaijan was acquired by Russia from Persia through the treaties of Gulistan (1813) and Turkamanchai (1828).
...

[BenReilly]

The entire Azerbaijan region, north and south, is historically a part of Iran. By the way, Iran's head of state, "Supreme Leader" Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is an ethnic Azeri and so is Rahim Safavi, the overall commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and the most important military-security official in the country. That sure is Persian occupation. :rolleyes:

It's understandable how persecuted Azeris would turn to fanatical Islam. As we all know, the real powers are behind the scenes.

[Mani]

It's understandable how persecuted Azeris would turn to fanatical Islam. As we all know, the real powers are behind the scenes.
LOL, "persecuted Azeris" run Iran. Come and talk when persecuted Palestinians run Israel.

[odessit19]

LOL, "persecuted Azeris" run Iran. Come and talk when persecuted Palestinians run Israel.

Persecuted Jews run Israel...

[BenReilly]

LOL, "persecuted Azeris" run Iran. Come and talk when persecuted Palestinians run Israel.

Every group has its traitors. Many are quick to point out a handful of Jews who hate Israel. Likewise, there are Azeris who plot against Azerbaijan and do the bidding of their Persian masters. Incredibly, there are even Kurds who will not defend Kurdistan against the true axis of evil (Arab imperialists, Persian imperialists, and Turkish imperialists)!

As for Palestinians, I believe both Israel and Iran should abandon the occupation of Arab lands. There should be an independent state in Gaza and in Arabistan ("Khuzestan").

Of course, I am a hopeless idealist who dreams that all the people of the middle east will breath the air of freedom.

[Iranian Monitor]

http://www.iisg.nl/meca/images/azerbaijan.jpg

http://www.iisg.nl/collections/azerbaijan.html

Azerbaijan Joz'-e La- Yanfak-e Iran

Azerbaijan Joz'-e La- Yanfak-e Iran or Azerbaijan, an Inseparable Part of Iran is the 'first publication of Iranians residing in the Caucasus'.1 This newspaper was published mostly in the Azerbaijani language but with some articles in Persian, in Baku (the capital of Azerbaijan) on January 28th, 1918 by the Democratic Party of Iran (Baku Branch). The Democratic Party of Iran was founded in 1914 and started its political activities in Baku after the collapse of tsarist regime in Russia.
...
It has been almost nine decades since the Azerbaijan an Inseparable Part of Iran newspapers were published. Surprisingly, the items and issues that were propounded on those newspaper pages, still are propounded and astonish even today. The complete collection of this newspaper is available in the International Institute of Social History.

[Iranian Monitor]

Most polls show roughly a quarter of the Azeris in the Republic of Azerbaijan still (after two centuries of anti Iranian propaganda) showing clear loyalty to IRAN, roughly another quarter of the population similarly disposed at least culturally, while the rest of the population is both more secular as well as more disposed to various pan Turkic ideologies.

Besides the shia Islamist groups in the Republic of Azerbaijan, there is also a substantial number of ethnic Iranians known as the Talesh people. While their association with Iran is ethnic not religious, they too are occasionally courted by Iran.

The point is that if anyone tries to use the Republic of Azerbaijan against Iran, they may very well find out that Iran has stronger cards to play there to use against them!

http://www.iags.org/n0328053.htm

The rise of Islam in Azerbaijan
...
Almost a quarter of the randomly selected 1200 respondents to a survey conducted by the Baku based independent research organization FAR CENTER favor Islamic governance in the form of Sharia. Another 29% welcomed the application of Sharia norms in some aspects of their daily life, such as family life. Another Baku-based think tank, Foundation for Azerbaijani Studies, came to a similar conclusion after its own survey. “Nearly 37% of the surveyed population in the south of Azerbaijan [near the Iranian border] favored the Sharia governance,” says Nasib Nasibli, chairman of the Foundation.
...

Should the impoverished and frustrated Azerbaijani population slowly shift its loyalty from pro-Western secularism to Islamic fundamentalism, the fate of the regional oil and gas projects as well as the pro-Western integration of Azerbaijan will be at a big risk. Walking in the streets of Baku these days, the last thing one would do is worry about an Islamic revolution in the country. Baku is as cosmopolitan and pro-Western as it can get. Yet beneath the surface, the seeds for Islamic fundamentalism might be slowly blossoming.

[Amerikaki]

Congratulations, you've presented some points in an attempt to demonstrate that Azerbaijan will not allow its land to be used as a base for an attack on Iran because Iran controls Azerbaijan politically due to its strong ties, culturally and religiously, to the Azerbaijani people.

Good job. Lets see....I'm sure that Australia would refuse to allow its land to be used as a lunch on New Zealand. I'm sure that the United States would refuse to let its land be used as a launch on Canada. I'm sure that Germany would refuse to allow its land to be used for an attack on Australia.

You're stating the obvious.

Lets see Iran court Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait....

Besides - if Iran is attacked it will be mostly an air assault, they won't need Azerbaijibberjab anyway...

Face it, Iran is going to be attacked soon....and ther'es nothing you can do about it, except post some propaganda in here in hopes that some of the morons on this board will agree with you, praise you even and make you feel good about yourself like all persian's crave....perhaps it is Israel's nukes and America's f-16's with Ahmedinijad's name written on them that causes this sense of insecurity...

[Iranian Monitor]

Lets see Iran court Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait....

Iran doesn't need to court them. None of them will allow their territory to be used against Iran, knowing full well the consequences.


Besides - if Iran is attacked it will be mostly an air assault, they won't need Azerbaijibberjab anyway...

Leaving aside the consequences of an attack against Iran, which would make it an entirely unpleasant enterprise for the US or Israel and one which they will want to avoid, the simple fact is that a meaningful attack on Iran would require platforms in the region. Otherwise, logistically, the issue becomes even more complicated.

Here is how Jane's explains the issue:


http://www.janes.com/defence/news/jir/jir060120_2_n.shtml

Washington would be unlikely to receive support from regional allies and possibly even the UK, which would need to authorise use of the regional airbase at Diego Garcia.

As a result, the principal assets used would be long-range land attack cruise missiles, with a small but pivotal direct attack role for the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. Using ship and submarine-launched Tomahawks or B-52-launched conventional air-launched cruise missiles (CALCM) against the most distant targets would require the US to shoot from a Tomahawk 'basket' or a CALCM 'box' within the Gulf or just east of the Straits of Hormuz, creating major force protection issues in the event of Iranian retaliation.

Face it, Iran is going to be attacked soon....

If I were you, that would be the last thing I would want to see happen. ;)

[Shaster]

Iran should make this deal:

President Hu was pissed during his visit to USA (ie, calling his country Taiwan, and using US financed Fulung Gong shouting insult on him), so Iran can give China a chunk of big oil for free, then China can dump some of $ out. In that case, US military will have NO money to operate in Iran. :p

Just joking. :p

[Amerikaki]

Iran doesn't need to court them. None of them will allow their territory to be used against Iran, knowing full well the consequences.


Okay there Macho man....are you hoping they'll see this thread or something?



Leaving aside the consequences of an attack against Iran, which would make it an entirely unpleasant enterprise for the US or Israel and one which they will want to avoid, the simple fact is that a meaningful attack on Iran would require platforms in the region. Otherwise, logistically, the issue becomes even more complicated.


Attacks can be launched from sea and from territories not necessarily bordering Iran. There are MANY locations from which attacks can be based out of in that area. Iran is a sitting duck.


If I were you, that would be the last thing I would want to see happen. ;)

Which is why you're not me. You are the typical persian who thinks he is g-d of this world. If I were you though, I'd be really worried. Your praise of Iran's military and your expectations sound familiar. Mother of all wars right? Drive the Jews into the Sea yeah? Well what happened to Saddam and Nasser?? Exactly what will happen to Ahmedinijad and his forces...

[Iranian Monitor]

I am just going to post some news reports from today and just the past few days that will respond to the issues discussed here. I don't think I need to belabor the point otherwise.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/05/02/wiran02.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/05/02/ixnewstop.html
Strikes on Iran too risky, says US general

Military action against Iran would be fraught with risk and would have repercussions across the region, a leading American general conceded.

"Any action militarily is very complicated," Lt Gen Victor Renuart, the director of planning for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told The Daily Telegraph.

"And any action by any country will have second-order effects, and that is a strong case to continue the diplomatic process and make it work."

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1145961254015&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Turkey won't allow US to use its bases

Turkey does not intend to allow the United States to launch an attack against Iran from the Inchirlik military base, Turkish news agencies reported Sunday.

Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told the Dubai-based al-Bayan that he doubted the US would ultimately choose to take military action, as "Iran has its own strategic advantages."

Gul said that facilitating an attack against a neighboring country was "not an option," despite the US offer to build Turkey a nuclear reactor as a counterbalance to Iran's expanding nuclear facilities.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/04/27/stories/2006042704081600.htm

U.S. will face global consequences: Iran

DUBAI: Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has warned the United States that it would face worldwide retaliation in case his country was attacked.

"The Americans should know that if they launch an assault against Islamic Iran, their interests in every possible part of the world will be harmed," Iran's top religious leader was quoted as saying. He added, "The Iranian nation will give a double response to any strike."
...
The new round of rhetoric from Teheran follows the visit of Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, to the United States. There have been apprehensions in Iran that Azerbaijan could emerge as a possible "frontline state" against Iran, should Teheran and Washington get embroiled in a military conflict. Azerbaijan, a close post-cold war U.S. ally, shares borders with Iran and Russia. Iran's Ambassador to Azerbaijan Afshar Suleimani was quoted as saying, "The U.S. plans to win over Azerbaijan to its side and use its territory as a base. However, I am sure that these attempts by Washington will not succeed." Mr. Suleimani ...added that Iran was hoping for a diplomatic solution to the problem, but was "prepared to a war." Iran's Defence Minister was in Azerbaijan last week, and Mr. Ahmadinejad is planning to visit Baku in May.

Preparing for a worst-case scenario, Iran has also been making energetic efforts to persuade its pro-American Gulf neighbours not to support military action against it. Its top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani was on Sunday in Bahrain, headquarters of the U.S. fifth fleet that coordinates American naval activity in the Gulf. Earlier the former President, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, said at a press conference in Kuwait, that the Gulf countries had assured him that they would not support an American attack on Iran.