TEHRAN (Iran News) – Baku, New Scenario of Zionists Against Tehran. Nowadays it seems the tension between Azerbaijan Republic and the Islamic Republic of Iran has escalated and the Western media are also fanning the flame to tarnish the ties between these two neighboring countries.

In recent weeks, the Azeri police and customs officials have begun imposing a “road tax” on Iranian trucks shipping fuel and other goods to neighboring Armenia, causing a strained atmosphere in the relations between Tehran and Baku.

Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliev has claimed that Iran had ignored Azerbaijan’s calls for many years to stop transporting goods to Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave that’s internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory. He said no Iranian truck has entered Nagorno-Karabakh since Azerbaijan started imposing taxes.

Aliev had also accused Iran of sending over trucks to “illegally” cross into the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which is a matter of dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Reacting to Azeri President’s claims and threats, several Iranian officials reacted and some of Iranian Army officials lashed back at Aliev’s remarks. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh  said Aliev’s remarks are “surprising” because they come at a time when Tehran and Baku have good relations based on mutual respect and there are normal channels through which the two sides can talk at the highest level.

Khatibzadeh reiterated that Iran has always opposed any occupation of territory and stressed the need for respecting the territorial integrity of countries and internationally recognized borders. He said good neighborliness is a key matter and all neighbors are expected to observe it.

He added that the recent Iran’s military drills along the northwestern border was a sovereign matter and was aimed at protecting regional security. He, however, said that Iran will not tolerate the Israeli regime’s presence near its borders even if it is ceremonial and the Islamic Republic will do anything that it takes to protect its national security.

Mahmoud Abbaszadeh Meshkini, spokesman for the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian Parliament, said the Iranian and Azeri people have the most religious, cultural, and ethnic affinities.

Meshkini also said that Iran believes that no behavior should result in tensions between the two neighbors, warning any tension “will only benefit foreigners, especially the Zionist regime.”

Despite efforts to calm down the tension, some attackers targeted Iran’s Embassy in Baku which led to Iran’s official protests as they vowed to seriously pursue the case until a result is achieved. Meanwhile Iranian ambassador vehemently rejected allegations leveled by his Israeli counterpart against the Islamic Republic, saying the Tel Aviv regime would never be able to achieve its dreams for the West Asia region. “The dreams of Zionism for this region will never be interpreted,” Mousavi said in a post on his Twitter account.

It seems the Zionists are trying to provoke the Azeri President against the Islamic Republic to tarnish the amicable relation of these two neighboring states for their wicked goals. Meanwhile, Commander of the northwestern headquarters of the Iranian Army’s Ground Forces Brigadier General Ali Hajilou said on Friday that the Islamic Republic would not tolerate the presence of foreign and Zionist elements along its common borders with neighboring states.

He added that Iran has never carried out an act of aggression over the past two centuries but has always defended its rights and interests decisively. The commander emphasized that the Islamic Republic would not accept any geographical change in common borders with regional states.

“Today is the time for peace, security and the reconstruction of the liberated areas, as well as the expulsion of the Zionist regime from the region. The sinister Zionist regime seeks to sow discord in the region… and we, the Muslim countries of the region, will have a region full of peace and stability through [our] awareness and togetherness.”

By the way Iran’s top security official reiterated the Islamic Republic’s “benevolent” relationship with its neighboring countries, calling on them to remain vigilant in the face of “fruitless foreign influence” and settle issues through cooperation.

“Powerful Iran has always been benevolent to its neighbors never posed a threat to them,” Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani said in a tweet. He added that regional countries can resolve problems through collective cooperation.

Azerbaijan should be vigilant and it should not play in the game of the Zionists because Israel will be the real winner of any tension in the region and especially between Iran and its neighbor states. Now that Israel has failed to stop powerful Iran’s influence among the Islamic nations, it tries to create rift among the Muslim nations to catch fish from the muddy water and Azerbaijan government should be vigilant and not to be fooled by the Zionists.

War would be the easiest thing between the two countries but keeping peace and friendship is difficult and enemies do not like friendship continues, and therefore they create ethnical, language or land disputes to materialize their vicious plots.

Iran has proved that it has never been the beginner of any war but in case a war is waged on, it will defend bravely and will give crushing answer to any invader. So Azerbaijan is better to continue friendship with its neighbor rather than being entrapped in the Zionists’ plots. Azeris can boost Muslim front and avoid wasting the wealth of two Muslim states in fight

against the Zionists rather than they waste their energy and wealth to please the Zionists.