Cohen: Attack on Azerbaijan’s embassy couldn’t have happened without prior knowledge of Iranian authorities

The inexcusable attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran should be considered in the context of Iran’s non-compliance with international diplomatic conventions, Ariel Cohen, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and director of energy, growth and security at the International Tax and Investment Center, told Report.

He noted that the attack on the embassy could not have happened without the prior knowledge of the Iranian authorities, which explains why the police, who were supposed to protect the embassy, did nothing at the time of the attack.

“Thus, Iran notifies Baku of its hostile intentions, and Baku can and should do everything in its power to protect its population, sovereignty and national interests,” added Cohen.

The Iranian attack on the embassy occurred because Azerbaijan is more successful, secular, has better authority and recognition in the world, and its residents are much happier, he said.

He noted that the attack on the Baku embassy is far from the first in the history of Iran. “We can start with the murder in the 19th century of the famous Russian poet and ambassador to Iran Alexander Griboyedov, when he was torn to pieces. We should also recall the attack on the American embassy in 1979, which caused the worst and never recovered crisis in US-Iran relations.”