Yerevan /Mediamax/. Lebanese newspaper Al Modon writes that "the crisis in Karabakh has become one of the most complicated conflicts for the leadership of Tehran, which is trying to cope with other accumulated problems.”

“These events have put Tehran before a difficult choice. On one hand, it has to voice support for Armenian ally to maintain strategic bilateral relations, in which Armenia performs as the channel for the Iranian regime to have trade and economic contacts with the world despite international sanctions. Additionally, in thia scenario Tehran can strengthen strategic cooperation with Moscow, which can be used in case of problems with European states, especially France. And finally, it would be a response to the concerns about Turkish expansion that encroaches on Iran’s strategic and economic interests.

However, this scenario also means a possible domestic “explosion”, because it goes against national feelings of Azerbaijanis, which make the second largest ethnic group in Iran and are a part of the country’s political, economic and military structure.

Tehran understands the difficulties created by the crisis in Caucasus. Despite the ongoing mobilization of armed and security forces, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in Iranian Azerbaijan, open and direct intervention by Turkey on the side of Azerbaijan forces Tehran to be slow and approach each statement and action carefully. A possible conflict with the Turks will lead to increase of domestic pressure, which has been demonstrated publicly and can pose a real threat because of protests in the regions bordering Azerbaijan and the provinces where Azerbaijanis are the ethnic majority,” Al Modon writes in the article “Iran and the Caucasus flank”.