iran and the south caucasus countries

islamic republic of iran enjoys close and amicable relations with small and christian republic of armenia. on the contrary, the ties between iran and seemingly significant shia republic of azerbaijan are frayed. while tehran’s close relationship with yerevan is widely attributed to geographical and economic isolation of armenia, iran-azerbaijan unfriendly relations have stemmed from suspicion and lack of trust. from a historical perspective, iran russia special relations are based on rivalry between russia and western powers, rather than real and common interests between these two neighbors. russia that still has a significant influence on the south caucasus region tries to limit iran ’s economic influence in armenia and georgia. moreover , armenia’s efforts to enhance its foreign relations with the west and russia signal that tehran may not rely on its long-term close ties with yerevan. keyword s iran, the south caucasus, the republic of azerbaijan, armenia, georgia, russia, usa