Forbes: Strengthening the Israeli-Azerbaijani energy alliance raises concerns in Tehran
The Abraham Accords, the normalization of relations between Israel and several majority Muslim states, was the greatest foreign policy accomplishment of Donald J. Trump’s first administration. As his second term takes off, the president has made it clear that his administration will seek an expansion of this groundbreaking framework, Forbes writes.
One Muslim-majority country that already has a longstanding partnership with Israel and is an obvious candidate to join the Accords framework is Azerbaijan. On March 17, an official delegation of SOCAR, the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic, will arrive in Israel to officially sign onto a previously-announced deal for a 10% stake in Israel’s Tamar Gas Field and simultaneously announce two even bigger energy projects within Israeli waters near the border with Lebanon.
According to exclusive Forbes’ Israeli sources, BP, a veteran partner of SOCAR is likely to be involved in the new venture. On March 5th the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel said that the Jewish state maintains a continuous dialogue with Washington, aiming to establish a strong foundation for trilateral collaboration between Israel, Azerbaijan, and the United States. Strengthening the Israeli-Azerbaijani energy alliance and proposals to add Azerbaijan to the Abraham Accords framework raises concerns in Tehran, which views these ties as a threat to the regime’s security. Azerbaijan is, in many respects, Tehran’s “worst nightmare”.
On March 1, the Iranian state media mouthpiece Iran Daily ran a front page article titled “Israel’s Growing Footprint in Azerbaijan Raises Red Alert” calling on all Iranian experts and companies to formulate strategies to frustrate Baku’s ambitions and counter the emerging Israeli-Azeri-American alliance. Specific countermeasures have included direct action initiatives such as increasing Iranian cooperation with Russia and Armenia, bolstering Iran’s military capabilities and conducting military exercises at the border with Azerbaijan, increasing economic coercion against the Azerbaijanis, cutting off Azeri trade routes, and various diplomatic initiatives to counter U.S. and Israeli pressure. Indirect measures were also proposed. These include focusing on lobbying international partners.
