Spies intensified in Azerbaijan: due to the struggle of interests of Russia, Iran and the West
Recently, espionage activities of foreign intelligence services have intensified in Azerbaijan. In the British newspaper The Times on Monday, three articles appeared on this topic. Tony Halpin, the author of one of the articles entitled “A game in which everyone has something to lose,” connects heightened attention to what is happening in this country with the backstage struggle of Russia, Iran and Turkey, who are largely interested in influencing the region.
The journalist also notes that the increased attention to Azerbaijan of the three listed countries, as well as the United States and Israel, is largely due to the aggravated situation around Iran. In particular, both Americans and Israeli political intelligence officers receive secret information about Iran in the Transcaucasus. In such circumstances, the Azerbaijani leadership has to maintain a balance between those states that have their own interest here.
However, between Tehran and Baku, there is a gradual aggravation of relations, about which the journalist Shira Frankel writes in another article published in The Times. The article is called "Spy against the spy: secret wars on a new platform for games of special services." So, for example, the administration of President Ilham Aliyev is unhappy with Iran’s ties with Armenia. In addition, the leadership of Azerbaijan fears that Tehran will promote Islamism. At the same time, Azerbaijan is afraid of a possible strike on Iranian territory, since this war will necessarily lead to an increase in the influx of refugees from Iran, which almost inevitably destabilizes the situation.
Russia, anticipating the influx of Iranian refugees, is seeking to obtain, through its agents working in the territory of Azerbaijan, information about the future intentions of America and Israel. Russia, Europe and the United States use a radar station located in Gabala to monitor Iran. In Azerbaijan, there are 2 large objects built by America: one is located in the south and monitors Iran, and the other is in the north and monitors Russia.
Israel, in the course of 20 years developing cooperation with Azerbaijan both in the business and military sphere, skillfully uses the fears of Baku. One of the Israeli intelligence agents operating in Azerbaijani territory said that the presence of Mossad agents in Azerbaijan is not advertised, but it has increased significantly. The agent explained that lately the presence of Israeli intelligence services has expanded, which made it possible to "get close to Iran."
According to the former counterintelligence officer of Azerbaijan, Arastun Orujlu, about a thousand "Islamic Revolutionary Guards" from Iran are working in his country. They act openly, since their main goal is to show their presence in the neighboring country. According to the expert, there are fewer agents of Israeli intelligence, but they are more effective.
In the third article, published in The Times under the title “Mossad uses British passports to cover its special agents,” correspondent Shira Frankel writes that Israel continues to use foreign nationals passports to cover its agents.
Proof of this are stories two young people told by them on condition of anonymity. A young man named Matthew, being a British native, emigrated to Israel in 2009. One of the employees of the Mossad asked him to borrow his passport. Matthew agreed because he was a “fiery Zionist.” After a year and a half, Matthew received his passport, but found in it stamps about visiting Azerbaijan and Turkey.
The Frenchman, who had moved to Israel in 2011, also said that his passport was returned a year later with stamps about visiting Russia and other countries.
The Azerbaijani leadership insists that there are no dangerous intentions towards Iran. Nevertheless, the Azerbaijani authorities strongly hint that they do not accept Tehran’s attempts to seize influence in the region. The ruling party of Azerbaijan even came up with a proposal to rename the country to northern Azerbaijan, explaining that the southern part of the country was supposedly subject to Iran.
Tehran openly comes out with threats of unleashing a war with neighboring countries, including Azerbaijan, if Israel carries out its threats against Iran. Thus, the ambassador of Azerbaijan was handed a note of protest against the fact that Baku provides assistance to the Mossad agents.
Iran believes that it was Baku that helped the Israelis, who organized the killing of several Iranian nuclear physicists, to return to their homeland. According to the Iranian special services, the assassins who completed the mission returned to Israel through Azerbaijan.
Tehran has demanded that the Azerbaijani authorities ban Israeli intelligence agents from using Azerbaijan to conduct operations against Iran.
On Monday, Baku called the accusations of aiding the agents of the Mossad of Iran as completely groundless. According to the statement of the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, Elman Abdullayev, the note of protest is based on "absurd and false information."
Abdullayev noted that his country, which has suffered from terror, will never use its territory "to contribute to terrorism." According to him, such actions by Iran are a reaction to a note of protest submitted by Azerbaijan to Tehran in connection with the detention of a group of people who were suspected of having links with Iranian secret services and plotting terrorist attacks in Azerbaijan against foreign citizens.
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