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Azerbaijan Opens Embassy in Israel amid Tension with Iran

Bayramov and Cohen during a press conference in Jerusalem on Wednesday. (Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Bayramov and Cohen during a press conference in Jerusalem on Wednesday. (Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
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Azerbaijan Opens Embassy in Israel amid Tension with Iran

Bayramov and Cohen during a press conference in Jerusalem on Wednesday. (Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Bayramov and Cohen during a press conference in Jerusalem on Wednesday. (Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov inaugurated Wednesday his country’s embassy in Tel Aviv.

Azerbaijan appointed its first ever ambassador to Israel on Wednesday, amid escalating tensions with its large southern neighbor Iran.

The step could worsen the trust crisis between Baku and its southern neighbor Tehran.

Bayramov arrived Wednesday morning in Tel Aviv and kicked off a series of meetings with politicians and economists.

He intends to visit Ramallah to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Bayramov commenced his meetings with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen.

Cohen said that they discussed fostering bilateral ties in economy, energy, education, academia, culture, sports, and more.

The Israeli FM stated that he intends to come on an official visit to Baku in the coming weeks at the head of an economic delegation.

"The opening of the Azeri embassy in Israel is further evidence of the strengthening of relations between our countries. Azerbaijan is a Muslim country, and its strategic location makes the relationship between us of great importance and great potential,” Cohen said.

“I agreed with Foreign Minister Bayramov on forming a united front against Iran and strengthening our cooperation in the fields of economy, security, energy, and innovation. I will soon go on a political visit to Baku together with a large economic delegation, which will further deepen the commercial ties between Israel and Azerbaijan," he added.

Bayramov stated that there is a joint purpose for both countries to cooperate to reach a strategic partnership that helps achieve regional peace and stability.

The Azerbaijani FM noted that Israel provides his country with huge and major aid to maintain its territories' safety and security and to restore parts occupied by Armenia.

Bayramov also pointed out an 85% growth in the trade turnover between the two countries in 2022.

Bayramov added that 114 Israeli companies operate in Azerbaijan and Azerbaijani oil makes up about 30% of the oil consumed by Israel.

Israel and Azerbaijan have had official ties for 30 years, and Israel first opened its embassy in Baku in 1993.

Israel was one of the first countries to recognize the independence of Azerbaijan in 1991.

Mukhtar Mammadov, the ambassador of Azerbaijan to Israel, presented on Monday his credentials to Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

Herzog said that Azerbaijan is the first Shiite country to open an embassy in Israel.

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Iran: We Will Not Retreat from Our Principles in Nuclear Talks

President Masoud Pezeshkian and Mohammad Eslami, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, visit an exhibition of Iran’s nuclear industry achievements, last April (Iranian Presidency)
President Masoud Pezeshkian and Mohammad Eslami, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, visit an exhibition of Iran’s nuclear industry achievements, last April (Iranian Presidency)
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Iran: We Will Not Retreat from Our Principles in Nuclear Talks

President Masoud Pezeshkian and Mohammad Eslami, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, visit an exhibition of Iran’s nuclear industry achievements, last April (Iranian Presidency)
President Masoud Pezeshkian and Mohammad Eslami, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, visit an exhibition of Iran’s nuclear industry achievements, last April (Iranian Presidency)

Iran on Tuesday said it is open to accepting temporary limits on its uranium enrichment but Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian pledged that his country will never retreat from its core principles in the nuclear talks.

“These negotiations will be fully aligned with the Supreme Leader’s guidance, which will light our path,” the president said in a meeting with members of the Iranian Parliament’s Independent Faction.

He added, “We have not tied the livelihood of our people to the outcome of these talks - nor will we ever do so. We will never retreat from our principles in these negotiations, but we do not seek tension either.”

Tehran and Washington held their fourth round of nuclear talks on Sunday in Doha, with no apparent breakthrough.

On Tuesday, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi informed the National Security Committee that during indirect talks with the US, “uranium enrichment is a non-negotiable red line.”

“Uranium enrichment in Iran’s peaceful nuclear program is a red line for the country, alongside its defense and regional strength. Iran is not engaging in discussions regarding its enrichment principles,” Gharibabadi said, according to Ebrahim Rezaei, the spokesman for the Iranian parliament's national security and foreign policy commission.

Rezaei said some lawmakers suggested Tehran should withdraw from the nuclear talks “until Iran's right to enrichment is publicly recognized, and sanctions and threats are stopped.”

Meanwhile, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi again said Iran is open to accepting temporary limits on its uranium enrichment, without abandoning its nuclear program as requested by the US administration.

“For a limited period of time, we can accept a series of restrictions on the level and volume of enrichment,” said Takht-Ravanchi.

“We have not yet gone into details about the level and volume of enrichment,” he said, quoted by Tasnim news agency.

The Iranian official added that negotiations are still in the early stages, and no specific details about the limitations have been discussed yet.

“We have not reached the stage where we would determine a specific timeframe or enrichment percentage,” he said.

Takht-Ravanchi then argued that US behavior undermines trust. “American officials' threatening and non-threatening statements fail to build confidence and instead cast doubts and suspicions on Washington's position,” he noted.

On Monday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards aerospace commander, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, said the country’s offensive capabilities have expanded, and that Iran’s adversaries are now more vulnerable to retaliation than ever before.

In a closed-door session with Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, Hajizadeh dismissed recent reports suggesting a decline in Iran’s defense strength as part of what he called a Western and Israeli media campaign aimed at undermining Iran’s image.