Iran holds 2 Azeri nationals on espionage charges

Iran says the two Azeri nationals who were arrested in early May have been held on the charges of espionage-related activities, Press TV reports.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, an official from Iran’s northeastern province of Azarbaijan told Press TV that the collected evidence indicates that Shahryar Hajizadeh and Farid Husseinov entered Iran under the direction of the Republic of Azerbaijan’s secret service known as MTN. They were supposed to recruit a number of dissidents in Iran to promote separatism.

The methods employed by the two agents is identical to those Israel has long been trying to implement. Israel’s recruitment and support of the extremists in the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as providing the necessary funds, know-how and training for these agents before eventually dispatching them to Iran, has led to a significant increase in the political and border tensions between the two countries.

Hajizadeh and Husseinov entered Iran under the pretense of representing a cultural institution through a fake invitation prepared and sent to them by their Iranian accomplice. On this assignment, they obtained confidential information and images from the strategic locations and facilities.

In the recent years, the Republic of Azerbaijan has turned into a convenient hub for dealings, activities, and interactions for spies and terrorists linked to Israel.