Bilateral Relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan (1991-2021)

The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan are two long-standing neighbors with historical, ethnic, cultural, and common customs, but with two different ideologies. The Republic of Azerbaijan, having rich oil and gas resources Of course, the openly anti-religious approach of the Republic of Azerbaijan after its independence from the former Soviet Union, isolating the Shiite Islamic identity of the people of this country, moving towards political and cultural secularism on the part of the government, emphasizing Pan-Azeri ideology based on Turkish-Azeri ethnicity, the growing trend of Baku's relations with the West as well as with the Israeli regime, which is not only limited to the cultural fields, but also in the economic, political and security fields, the tendency of the Baku government. It has a strategic alliance with the Western axis, namely the United States of America, NATO and the Zionist regime; It has made the relationship between them colder. In this article, using the theory of defensive realism and a descriptive-analytical method, Iran's foreign policy and its influencing factors have been examined and analyzed. To answer this question, what important factors have been influential in the relations between the two countries? The result of this research shows that despite the bleakness of the relations, but some cooperation’s and understandings such as the positive position of the Azerbaijan towards Iran's nuclear program and not leaving Iran alone in the period of sanctions against Iran. It can create a positive vision of the relations between the two countries.