An Iranian daily has accused Azerbaijan of planning to confiscate several Iranian properties and “cultural sites” in Azerbaijan as relations between the two sides continue to slide.
According to the Farhikhtegan newspaper, the targeted properties include the offices of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's representatives, Iran state television, and buildings of the Al-Mustafa International University, among others.
The Al-Mustafa University, operating under the Islamic Propaganda Bureau of the Qom Seminary, functions as a state-funded, university-style Shia seminary with branches in nearly 60 countries. Al-Mustafa has emerged as Iran’s primary instrument for promoting Shi'ism internationally.
The newspaper also criticized Azerbaijan's recent acquisition of a property in Tehran's upscale Pasdaran district, a building spanning over three thousand square meters and valued at around $20 million.
The move, described as a result of Baku's lobbying efforts following an embassy attack, has been labeled "completely meaningless" by the newspaper as “Azerbaijan continues to seal and aims to confiscate Iranian properties.”
The publication claims the properties are “diplomatic sites” and there are no legal proceedings in Azerbaijan that justify their confiscation.
The accusation comes amid a backdrop of extensive Iranian activities in Azerbaijan Republic, including offering free education to Azerbaijani seminary students, promoting Shiism, and funding various cultural and religious activities aimed at bolstering Iran's influence in the region.
The situation underscores a long-standing effort by the Islamic Republic to wield religious and geopolitical influence in Azerbaijan, particularly following the latter's independence.
The Azerbaijan Islamic Party, established post-independence in 1991 with Iran's support to export the Islamic Revolution, was dissolved four years later, accused of attempting to overthrow the government and transform the country into an Islamic republic.
Relations with the two countries were put under further strain when Azerbaijan recently opened an embassy in Israel, Iran's archenemy. Just last year, an Iranian-backed attack was foiled on Israel's embassy in Baku.