It is a fact that Persian Nationalism is as important in the Islamic Republic of Iran as Shiism. It is clear how this thinking has led to disasters in Iran, especially for non-Persians, and the Azerbaijani Turks have suffered the most. However, it is also important in terms of Persian Nationalism’s foreign relations and how Iran interacts with neighboring and regional countries in general.
This event was clearly reflected in the events in Karabakh. Iran has been with Armenia since the beginning of the Karabakh conflict, ie 30 years ago. However, he tried to hide it, especially through his religious policies and, more precisely, his propaganda. Recently, especially after the ceasefire agreement and the withdrawal of Iran from the Caucasus, some members of the government also protested against this issue and spoke about the growing mentality of the city of Iran.
“The reason for Iran’s defeat in Karabakh is Iranshahr’s thinking”
As always in Iran, there are still differences and rivalries between the political factions. This time it was the same. In an interview with Ahmad Aliriza Beygi, a former governor of East Azerbaijan and now a member of parliament from Tabriz, he spoke about the influence of Persian nationalism in the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
At the same time, Alireza Beygi, a General of the Sipaq Forces, says that the Iranian city has so much thinking in the experts of the Foreign Ministry that it has led to Iran’s defeat in the Karabakh issue. The Tabriz MP said that thanks to Pan-Persian thinking, the partnerships in the south and north of Araz were seen as a threat instead of an opportunity, and the field was opened to other countries, including Turkey.
These statements are extremely important. For example, the former governor of East Azerbaijan, Nicole Pashkina, who came to Iran in 2019 due to the Persian nationalist thinking, also pointed to the borders.
Pashinyan then came to Iran during the Khojaly genocide and met with Ali Khamenei. At that time, high-level economic agreements were signed between Armenia and Iran. According to these agreements, Iran has promised to build a water dam on the lands occupied by Armenia. Also, during the same visit, Pashinyan posed in front of the Iranian Armenians in front of the banner “Karabakh is the land of Armenia.” Pashinyan also said his harshest words about Karabakh and Azerbaijan when he arrived in Tehran at that time.
All this shows how Persian nationalism, or the way of thinking that is now popular, shaped Iran’s Karabakh policy. Today, Iran pays the price for being against Turkey and Azerbaijan by exporting it entirely from the Caucasus. Whoever is involved in Iran’s politics is suffering the losses of Persian Fascism, and the real damage is being paid to 80 million people.
