BBC Azerbaijan – July 29, 2025
“I have said this unequivocally: I am a Turk. My father is a Turk, and so is my mother. I am proud to be a Turk.” These words from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian have been among the rare moments that have emboldened Iranian Azerbaijanis, who have been gradually pushed out of the political sphere over the past 40 years.
Journalist Alirza Quluncu says, “We can see the protest vote of Turks—who have been sidelined from centers of power since the Pahlavi era, and whose region, Azerbaijan, has been weakened and fragmented—in the support given to Pezeshkian.”
July 30 marks one year since Masoud Pezeshkian assumed the presidency in Iran.
However, his failure to fulfill the promises made during his campaign has not sat well with many Azerbaijanis.
Issues such as the restoration of Lake Urmia, education in the mother tongue, the right to give children Turkish names, and ensuring that revenues from gold and copper mines reach the provinces inhabited by Azerbaijanis remain unresolved.
BBC correspondent Kia Atri, who follows Iranian media, says, “They are not satisfied because there has been no progress. Even the bill he submitted to Parliament in February 2025 regarding the Azerbaijani language was rejected. I think there is a sense of caution within his cabinet. He seems to want to show that he is doing something, especially regarding political and cultural issues affecting ethnic Azerbaijanis, but the presidential office in Iran is not a powerful position.”
Alirza Quluncu adds that people in Iran generally know who really holds decision-making power and authority—"of course, it's Khamenei," he notes.
Despite the discontent, Pezeshkian appointed a Turk, Reza Rahmani, as the governor of West Azerbaijan Province. He is also the first president in Iran to give interviews in Azerbaijani Turkish, despite Persian being the official language. Pezeshkian is often criticized by conservatives for speaking in Azerbaijani.
“We used to see these people go on the defensive, saying ‘No, we are not pan-Turkists, we oppose that too.’ But they don’t do that anymore,” says Alirza Quluncu.
According to the Iranian Azerbaijanis we spoke with, Pezeshkian’s use of the Azerbaijani language alone is enough for them to support him. However, he also speaks Kurdish fluently. He uses both languages to maintain positive relations with Kurdish and Azerbaijani communities.
Quluncu also adds that there is no such thing as a “Pezeshkian faction” or a political base backing him within the ruling establishment.
It is still too early to say how long the optimism Pezeshkian has generated will last. Analysts agree that his presidency offers a glimmer of hope to those who continue, overtly or covertly, to resist the status quo. But in Iran’s complex political environment, time will tell what the outcome will be.
Original source: Pezeşkian İran azərbaycanlılarına ümid gətirdi, bəs sonra?