Akper Hasanov

Iran provokes a new confrontation with Azerbaijan. This time the instigator of the next round of conflict between the two countries was the Deputy Head of Maritime Affairs in the Iranian General Directorate of Environment Abdurresha Karbasi.
According to him, Azerbaijan pollutes the Caspian Sea. In addition, he claims that Azerbaijan continues to use outdated equipment. "After determining the estimated cost of damage to the Caspian Sea, and the necessary cleaning of the sea, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran will take all measures to impose a fine on Azerbaijan”, Karbasi said.
It is clear that all allegations of the Iranian official are the logical continuation of Tehran’s unfriendly policy on Azerbaijan. Simply, this time they have selected a new form, in which the Iranian side is trying to wrap its content of its hostile attitude to our country. In fact, all the "accusations" used by Karbasi can be set to any of the littoral states, including Iran itself. This country is also producing oil in the Caspian Sea, and the equipment that it uses is also not environmentally friendly.

So what is the reason for such a statement? There are several of them. First, Iran and Azerbaijan have different, diametrically opposed views on the legal status of the Caspian Sea. Official Tehran insists on equal 20% division of the waters and the seabed. However, not only Azerbaijan, but also Kazakhstan, do not accept this version of the division of the Caspian Sea due to the fact that the width of the national sector of the Caspian Sea depends on the amount of oil that the littoral states get under their control. Each country insists on its position of the subject and this is one of the reasons for the existing tension between Tehran and Baku.
Second, Iran is preparing for a confrontation with the U.S. and its allies. Official Baku has repeatedly stated that the territory of our country will not be used for attacks on Iran. However, the Iranian side pretends not to hear these statements of the Azerbaijani side and prefers to treat our country as a potential enemy. Although, again, there are no grounds for this.

Third, the economic and social problems are growing in Iran. Thus, according to the Secretary General of the Iranian House of Workers Ali Mahjoub, some 1200 industrial enterprises were shut down in Iran over the past year turning some 100,000 people unemployed. Are now whole sectors of industry are at risk, for example, car manufacturers which means about 700 000 jobs.
Economic instability causes galloping rise in prices. According to official Iranian reports, the prices of dozens of essential consumer goods have increased from 20 to 150% over a year. To reduce social tensions, Tehran instigates clashes with neighboring states, trying to divert attention from the internal problems of the population of this state to the external ones.

In general, the "environmental conflict" with Azerbaijan so much exaggerated by Iran now is a logical continuation of the openly hostile acts against our country. It is appropriate to recall the hysteria in the Iranian media on the eve of Eurovision international song contest in Baku in 2012. Then the Iranian mullahs openly threatened Azerbaijan, and specially arranged ‘protests’ were held in Tebriz in front of our consulate.
Who was the initiator of this campaign? A few days ago Britain’s The Telegraph published a sensational article, based on reports from British intelligence. So, The Telegraph noted that Iran's spiritual leader Ayatollah Khamenei personally ordered the special unit of the Revolutionary Guards of Iran (Quds Force) to prepare terrorist acts in Azerbaijan in period of Eurovision song contest.
This information logically fits into the overall picture of the openly anti-Azerbaijani policy of Tehran, which could not but be coordinated with the spiritual leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei. And a new provocation by the Iranian side, the "environmental conflict" imposed on Baku, is most likely another episode of this policy of official Tehran. It is, unfortunately, not the first and the last one.

Akper Hasanov
News.Az