PSCRP-BESA Reports No. 135 (June 18, 2025)
Israeli strikes on Iran and Iran’s ballistic missile attacks on Israel have made it clear where the two main rivals in the South Caucasus — Azerbaijan and Armenia — stand. Monitoring of media and social networks in both countries shows that Baku immediately adopted a neutral position, merely expressing concern over the consequences of military actions. In contrast, Armenian state-affiliated outlets, parties, and diaspora organizations worldwide took a clearly pro-Iranian stance.
For many Armenians, the conflict between Iran and Israel presents an opportunity to pursue political goals and to that end have disseminated and amplified fake news originally circulated by Iranian media and social networks affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Azerbaijan’s Position
On June 13, Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the following statement: “We are seriously concerned about the military operations carried out by the State of Israel on the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran. We strongly condemn the escalation of tensions and call on the parties to resolve their existing disagreements exclusively in accordance with international law, through dialogue and diplomatic means. We particularly emphasize the importance of ensuring the safety of the civilian population and civilian infrastructure.”
On June 14, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov told his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi during a phone conversation that Azerbaijan will not allow its territory to be used by the armed forces of any third country—including against ‘neighboring and friendly Iran.’
This statement came in response to a wave of fake news in Iranian media alleging that Baku’s airfields were being used as launching points for Israeli drones, that Azerbaijan had helped Israeli planes refuel, and that ethnic Azerbaijanis in Iran were being used as agents by Israel against the Islamic Republic.
That same day, Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and Head of the Department for Foreign Policy Affairs of the Presidential Administration, called the claims that ethnic Azerbaijanis in Iran were being used as agents “absurd and fabricated.”
On June 17, Azerbaijan sent a message through various channels to Israeli leadership, urging them not to strike civilian areas in Iran inhabited by ethnic Azerbaijanis and to avoid harming civilian infrastructure and non-combatants. In particular, this referred to Tabriz, the cultural center of the so-called “Southern Azerbaijanis” — Iran’s largest ethnic minority—which has faced around a century of discrimination by the Pahlavi dynasty and then the Islamic Republic.
Notably, there were no reported strikes in Tabriz’s inhabited areas.
On the same day, the Fars news agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), released an Arabic-language video addressed to the youth of Muslim countries including the UAE, Bahrain, and Azerbaijan. The video claimed that the Israelis in these countries are “in fact, members of the Zionist regime’s military and must be killed.” “Zionists are legitimate targets, and by eliminating them, you will help accelerate the destruction of the Zionist regime,” the agency stated.
Since the beginning of hostilities, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has held talks with leaders of various countries, including Turkey, regarding the conflict. However, none of the official statements from these discussions have included any direct condemnation of Israel.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijani media has taken a much more pro-Israel stance. For example, a headline from the pro-government outlet Haqqin reads, “By tearing out Tehran’s fangs, Israel is saving humanity.”
Position of Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora
Typically, in Armenia, official bodies, opposition groups, and diaspora organizations rarely align. However, since the breakout of hostilities, these forces have shown unanimous in supporting Iran.
On June 13, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the attack on Iran was “unilateral” and is, “taking place especially ahead of the next round of negotiations, it endangers the peaceful efforts as well as overall regional stability & global peace. We condemn such action & call for immediate cessation of hostilities & adherence to international law.”
A similar statement was made by Alen Simonyan, Speaker of the Armenian Parliament, calling Israel’s attack “unilateral” and a “shatter[ing] global and regional peace efforts.”
On June 14, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF, Dashnaktsutyun) — a nationalist and socialist political party highly active in the diaspora — went further, calling Israel’s strikes a violation of international law, saying they “endanger the right of life” of Iranian civilians, and condemning “Israel’s actions against Iran and the Iranian people.”
That same day, the liberal newspaper Aravot published an article arguing for supporting Iran on realpolitik grounds.
“Israel is clearly not a friendly country to us—it is, in fact, a close ally of Azerbaijan… Yet, my sympathy in this conflict lies with Iran… Yes, the Iranian regime is undoubtedly authoritarian—but that matters less to me than the fact that Iran genuinely wants to see Armenia as an independent state… Let us recall how Aliyev recently tried to persuade Iran to soften its opposition to the opening of the so-called ‘Zangezur corridor’ — a route that would run through the sovereign territory of Armenia. It’s clear, isn’t it, who benefits from Iran’s weakening?”
The National Democratic Union of Armenia made a more emotional appeal for supporting Iran, speaking of a “millennia of shared history” and “strong friendship forged through numerous trials.”
Well-known Armenian journalist and blogger Mika Badalyan, leader of the opposition movement “Azatagrum” (“Liberation”), said that, “Iran’s success in this confrontation is a vital national interest of Armenia, and I’m glad to see that the broad masses — except for some marginal grant-eaters — understand this and stand with Iran.”
On June 16, Ishkhan Saghatelyan, MP and representative of ARF Dashnaktsutyun’s Supreme Council in Armenia, spoke of concern for Iran’s “large Armenian community” and decried “broad military action against a friendly country.”
On June 17, Iran’s Ambassador to Armenia and likely a high ranking officer in the IRGC, Mehdi Sobhani, said at a press conference in Yerevan that Tehran was grateful for the Armenian government’s “resolute stance in condemning the Israeli aggression” and “the support of the Armenian people.”
Armenian media outlets widely covered this statement.
Position of the Armenian-American Diaspora
The most influential Armenian-American political advocacy group the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), also harshly condemned Israel, claiming that its ally Azerbaijan was planning to attack Armenia under the cover of Israeli strikes on Iran. The ANCA statement said Israeli air strikes would “create a cover” for Azerbaijan to strike Armenia, threaten trade routes that “Armenia relies upon for its survival” and spark a “broad regional conflict that reaches the South Caucasus.”
Numerous Armenian media outlets and Telegram channels actively disseminated Iranian fake news — both those alleging direct Azerbaijani involvement in the conflict and other fabrications.
This can be explained by a desire to provoke Tehran into targeting Baku — seen as an easier target than Israel — with the aim of weakening Azerbaijan. Especially popular were fakes claiming that the territory of Karabakh, cleared of Armenian separatists, was used by Israelis as a launch pad for airstrikes. Through such an argument, some Armenians may hope to convince Iran that Azerbaijani control of Karabakh is a threat to both Yerevan and Tehran.
Motivations Behind Disinformation
It’s important to note the difference in target audiences for Iranian and Armenian fakes. As Joseph Epstein, Director of the DC-based Turan Research Center pointed out, Iranian propaganda seeks to create an imaginary “ring of fire around Iran” by claiming that it is fighting not just Israel but a large coalition, which includes the United States, Azerbaijan and Turkey. For years, Tehran has committed itself to destroying Israel and has bragged about its military superiority while dismissing the Jewish State as a vulnerable colonial outpost reliant on foreign powers for its existence. Now, Israel’s military domination of Iran is turning that narrative on its head.
As a result, it is crucial to save face by convincing Iranians that the mighty Islamic Republic could only be crippled by a coalition of nefarious actors supporting Israel behind the scenes.”
For Armenia, the purpose is to further solidify the Iranian-Armenian alliance, foment hostility towards Azerbaijan in Iran and gain support among left and right-wing critics of Israel by tying in Israel’s strikes on Iran to the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.
PSCRP team