Mehsa Mehdili: If Iran Continues This Policy, It Will Isolate Itself in the Region

Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, October 4, 2021

Mehsa Mehdili

Political analyst Mehsa Mehdili discussed her recently published book "44 Days of the Karabakh War: The South Azerbaijan Perspective" in an interview with Voice of America.

Mehdili explains that she wrote the book to document the events that occurred in Iranian Azerbaijan during the Karabakh War in September and October of the previous year.

"During the war, a front line opened in South Azerbaijan. Of course, news agencies, especially alternative media, documented all of this. But from an archival perspective, I decided to write this book to capture the events, the reactions within the world community, the Turkish world, and Iran itself, as well as to analyze them and compile them as part of our political history," says the author.

In the interview, Mehsa Mehdili also shared her thoughts on the recent tensions in Iran-Azerbaijan relations and Iran's military exercises along the Azerbaijan border.

She believes that Iran has acted without considering its internal dynamics in its relationship with the Republic of Azerbaijan:

"Iran took a politically wrong step during the war by sending weapons and ammunition to Armenia via trucks, without considering its internal dynamics. And then, it continued this. I mean, acting against people who share the same identity, ethnic background, and even the same sense of homeland with its own citizens is a blow to Iran itself. Instead of reconciling with the Azerbaijani community and the Turks within its borders, instead of listening to them, Iran has taken this stance, which is a blow to itself. Iran's military exercises, in fact, are a disrespect to the territorial integrity of another country, according to international law."

Mehdili stresses that Iran is not acting rationally and, as a result, is isolating itself in the region.

She adds, "Iran could have acted more wisely. Within Iran, there is the issue of the Azerbaijani question. Instead of facing this reality and addressing these problems correctly, through democratic institutions and dialogue, Iran has chosen to attack and hurt its own people. This was a major mistake. But they continue to make this mistake. They think they can continue with this pressure policy for a long time."

Mehdili also notes, "This policy will isolate Iran and increase internal conflicts. Furthermore, I believe that with Turkey's mediation, Armenia will act more moderately in the future and new collaborations will emerge on a more peaceful basis. In this environment, Iran will be isolated and will lose its allies."

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Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Məhsa Mehdili: İran bu siyasətinə davam edərsə, özünü bölgədə təcrid edəcək