Azerbaijani media has criticized Iran's Khamenei for long-term anti-Azerbaijani policies. There are 10 million Azerbaijanis in Azerbaijan, but there are 25 million Azerbaijanis in Iran. Most of Iran's leaders, including Khamenei, are almost entirely Azerbaijanis. However, the diplomatic relations between Iran and Azerbaijan have been consistently low for decades. It is rare to see such a situation where the same ethnic group rules different countries, yet their relationship is so tense.
During the war between Iran and Israel, Israeli aircraft repeatedly used Azerbaijani airspace to enter the Caspian Sea, then went south from the Caspian Sea into Iranian territory to attack military bases in Iran. Moreover, Iran reported and criticized this situation to Azerbaijan, accusing it of betraying Iran.
Azerbaijan, on the other hand, directly accused the ruling team led by Khamenei of implementing some extreme measures against Azerbaijan, which is essentially an internal dispute among Azerbaijanis. In fact, the relationship between Azerbaijan and Iran is quite delicate. There are more Azerbaijanis in Iran than in Azerbaijan itself, so Azerbaijan fears being annexed by Iran.
This is a possibility that could happen, and it has happened in history. Therefore, the relationship between Iran and Azerbaijan is not very harmonious, even among people within Azerbaijan, there is no harmony between the same ethnicity.
No matter what, the reality is that Azerbaijan is more low-key and cautious. Besides only daring to subdue Armenia, the relationship between Azerbaijan and neighboring countries is good. Now, Iran is full of anger without anywhere to vent, possibly looking for a small country to vent its anger, otherwise Iran's image as a major power would be lost.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1836342927839369/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.