Iran's Foreign Ministry Is Side-Lined, Ex-Diplomats Say

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, on an official visit to Moscow amid expanding military cooperation and supplies of Iranian weapons for Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

The chief Iranian diplomat said that talks mainly focused on economic and security ties.

At a joint press conference on Wednesday, the Iranian top diplomat stated that various avenues of relations between the two countries including economic, commercial, political, cultural, security and defense have been fully discussed.

Amir-Abdollahian further expressed readiness to sign a long-term agreement between Moscow and Tehran.

Iran and Russia had a long-term cooperation agreement signed in 2001 and renewed once for a ten-year period that lapsed in 2021. Iran has been frequently declaring that a new and more comprehensive deal will be signed, but so far Moscow has not taken action to kick off the process of talks leading to a final treaty.

The Iranian foreign minister also added that the deputy foreign ministers of the Islamic Republic, Russia, Syria and Turkey will hold a meeting in Moscow next week.

“Its main goal is to bring the views of Turkey and Syria closer. Tehran and Moscow will do their best to see this happen. If a framework is determined in the talks, the next round of the meeting can be held at the level of foreign ministers,” noted Amir-Abdollahian.

Regarding attacks on American bases in Syria last week and US retaliation, he noted that “there have been incidents in the region and unfortunately, the Americans made baseless accusations saying the attacks were launched by Iran-affiliated groups. Americans made hasty judgments before providing no documents to prove their claim. We are not looking for conflict and tension. Iran has always played a constructive role and our response to the American side was clear and decisive in the events east of the Euphrates.”

US warplanes launched retaliatory air strikes against drone and rocket attacks targeting US bases in northeastern Syria launched by proxy forces controlled by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, the IRGC, last Thursday and Friday.

The Pentagon and the Biden administration, while reiterating their determination to defend US personnel, emphasized that they were careful in their military strikes to minimize loss of any Iranian lives and collateral damage.

Iran’s foreign minister, referring to tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan, emphasized that Tehran rejects any geopolitical change in the region and believes that different parties should be involved to resolve issues through dialogue and political solution.

Elsewhere in his statements, Amir-Abdollahian stressed that he will meet with the Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud soon reminding that some differences in views are normal, but it does not prevent the reopening of embassies and consulates.

After seven years of soured political relations, Iran and Sadi Arabia signed a deal earlier this month brokered by China to resume times and open embassies in the respective capitals.

Regarding the war in Ukraine, the Iranian foreign minister said Iran welcomes the idea of the Chinese President XI Jinping regarding world peace and security.

“We welcome any initiative that leads to sustainable peace and security in the region and the world. It is important to take action in this framework,” he noted.

XI has offered to mediate between Russia and Ukraine to end the war, but Western powers have dismissed the offer, which could prolong Russia’s occupation of Ukrainian territory.

Gen. Mohammad-Reza Naghdi, the coordinating deputy to IRGC commander Hossein Salami, in a speech on Wednesday stressed that Iran needs to rely on its internal capabilities instead of counting on economic improvement through negotiations. He was referring to nuclear talks with the United States and its allies that could lift sanctions and offer the battered economy a lifeline.

Naghdi also repeated criticism by other hardliners that former President Hassan Rouhani linked the fate of the country to negotiations with the West.

Iran’s economy entered a long-lasting crisis after 2018 when former US President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal known as the JCPOA and imposed sanctions.

Naghdi also urged Iranians to obey Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to achieve a better future. Last week, clerics loyal to Iran’s 83-year-old ruler also praised him as God’s representative and urged obedience.

Anti-regime protests that began last September in Iran were largely directed against Khamenei, who is seen by many as dictating policy at every level and responsible for increasing poverty in the country. Most Iranians are in favor of talks with the West and yearn for the lifting of sanctions to improve their lives.

Protesters also want social and political freedoms and see Khamenei as the leader of hardliners who control the authoritarian government.

Developments during the past few days show that the Iranian regime is infuriated by the growing ties between Israel and regional countries and is trying to take advantage of the protests in Israel to strike blows. 

As Israel opened its embassy in Azerbaijan on Wednesday, Baku’s State Security Service announced that it was investigating "a terror attack" that injured lawmaker Fazil Mustafa, known for his strong anti-Iranian views. He has been hospitalized after receiving wounds to his shoulder and thigh after being shot with a Kalashnikov assault rifle Tuesday night. 

Relations between Azerbaijan and Iran, which has a large population of ethnic Azeris in its northwest, have been strained in recent months after Baku announced plans to open formal diplomatic ties with Israel. In January, Azerbaijan closed its embassy in Tehran after what it called a "terrorist attack" that killed the embassy's head of security.

Moreover, Greek police said Tuesday they had arrested two men from a group that was planning to attack an Israeli restaurant in Athens, a case which Israel said was orchestrated from Iran. The two men, 27 and 29 years old, are Iranian born with Pakistani background. Israel's intelligence service Mossad, which aided Greek authorities with intelligence on the terrorist operation, said, "The investigation exposed that the operation in Greece was part of a vast Iranian network, operated from Iran across many countries."

During the joint press conference after the meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov on Wednesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said, “Iran is a regional threat... Israel and Azerbaijan must share the same understanding regarding the Iranian threat. Iran threats our region, and creates non-stability in the Middle East by supporting and financing terrorism. We should jointly act against Iran. We should not allow Iran to expand its nuclear opportunities.”

In an online conference with other foreign ministers on Tuesday Cohen said, "Iran's involvement in the war in Ukraine is a wake-up call for democracies across the globe." Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the foreign ministers of France, the Czech Republic, Argentina, Zambia, Liberia, Malawi, Japan and Italy were also attending the meeting.

Also on Tuesday, the spokesman of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) called on Palestinians to take advantage of ongoing protests in Israel to destabilize the country. Brigadier General Ramezan Sharif said that “the occupied territories are the scene of confrontation of a movement within the Zionist regime that wants to stand against the totalitarianism of another wing. This is a golden opportunity for the Palestinian fighters to take advantage of the situation.”

Iranian officials have rejoiced at the political dispute over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's effort to overhaul the country's judicial system, with hardliner media, mostly controlled by the IRGC, publishing daily articles about a "looming civil war" in Israel and predicting its demise in the near future.

Earlier in the month, Israel’s National Security Council released a statement, cautioning Passover travelers over the possibility of being incidentally harmed in Iranian plots abroad. This year, the holidays – starting on April 5 – coincides with the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which usually sees a surge in terrorist attacks by extremist Islamists. 

Israel’s National Security Council claims the Tehran will continue its attempts to harm Israelis around the world, especially in the countries near Iran in broader West Asia. It emphasized that Iran and its proxies present a particular threat in the United Arab Emirates, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Bahrain, as well as Iraq’s Kurdistan region, where Israelis are prohibited to enter according to Israel’s own laws. 

During the past two years, Israel foiled attacks organized by the IRGC-affiliated agents in Georgia, Turkey, Cyprus and more, the statement read. 

In June 2022, Turkish forces foiled an attempt by Iran's intelligence agents to kill Israelis in Istanbul, arresting eight men. Also in June, security forces in Thailand reportedly thwarted a plot by an Iranian agent to establish a terror cell in the country and carry out attacks against Israelis. In October 2021, Israel said that an Iranian plot against an Israeli businessmen in Cyprus was foiled.

The decades-long shadow war between Iran and Israel across the Middle East and beyond is not so covert anymore, with both countries becoming more vocal – yet tactical -- about their activities against each other.

Since July 2020, a series of spectacular attacks began against Iran’s well-defended nuclear and weapons development sites, as well as key individuals, such as top nuclear official Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in November 2020. Hackings, mysterious fires, sinking of ships and disruption of infrastructure continued until the daylight assassination of a key official, Colonel Hassan Sayyad-Khodaei on May 22, 2022, in Tehran. The man was reportedly the commander of a secretive unit tasked with terror operations abroad.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart that the Islamic Republic believes the continuation of tension in the Caucasus region is not to the benefit of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia, advocating a dialogue to resolve differences.

Amir-Abdollahian arrived in Russia on Tuesday to hold talks with the country's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov over different issues.

During the joint press conference, Lavrov said he hoped what he called "frictions" between Azerbaijan and Iran would soon be resolved.

Relations between Azerbaijan and Iran, which has a large population of ethnic Azeris in its northwest, have been strained in recent months after Baku announced plans to open formal diplomatic ties with Israel.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan's State Security Service said on Wednesday that it was investigating "a terror attack" after a lawmaker with strong anti-Iranian views was wounded in a gun attack at his home.

Regarding the nuclear deal with the West the Iranian foreign minister said Tuesday that “the window of dialogue is still open and one of the topics of the conversation with Lavrov was the JCPOA and the return of parties to their commitments.”

A statement by the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's Office on Tuesday said Mustafa, who is the head of Azerbaijan's Great Order Party, was attacked by unknown assailants outside his house in the Sabunchi district of capital Baku.

Covering the news of the attack, the Telegram channel affiliated to Iran's IRGC called him "a staunch enemy of Shia Muslims."

"Mustafa received gunshot wounds from an unknown person or persons near his house in Baku. The lawmaker was hospitalized with gunshot wounds in the leg and shoulder," the Interior Ministry said.

Later, the Azerbaijani Parliament said his state of health is assessed as stable.

"A criminal case has been opened following the terrorist act against Azerbaijani MP Fazil Mustafa, Azernews reported, citing the State Security Service of Azerbaijan.

"Comprehensive urgent operational-search measures are being carried out in order to identify the person who committed the terrorist act, and other persons involved in the crime, and bring them to criminal responsibility," the Azerbaijani State Security Service said.

Relations between Tehran and Baku soured more after a gunman assaulted Azerbaijan’s embassy in Iran’s capital Tehran in late January prompting Azerbaijan to evacuate staff and family members from the country. Baku also detained 19 people, alleging that they were working for Iranian intelligence services.

As in some Middle Eastern countries, Tehran sees Azerbaijan’s majority-Shia population as fertile ground for propagating its narratives and creating local proxies to influence Baku’s decision-making.