With each new appearance, interview, or public remark, Ambassador Mehdi Sobhani seems less like a diplomat representing Tehran and more like a mouthpiece for Yerevan. And Iran’s Ambassador to Armenia has more than proven this pattern.

His latest outburst, in which he claimed that the term “Western Azerbaijan” is unacceptable, crosses more than just diplomatic lines — it erases the historical trauma of an entire people. His repeated provocations suggest not only a deliberate disregard for facts but also a dangerous effort to distort the region’s history and current dynamics in favor of Armenia.

Expressions like "Western Azerbaijan" is significant and well-founded. This issue should not be evaluated solely based on Ambassador Sobhani's literacy.

We would like to clarify the issues related to the West Azerbaijan province and the Western Azerbaijan region.

The historical ancestral homelands of Azerbaijanis, from which they were forcibly deported to what is now modern-day Armenia, are referred to as Western Azerbaijan.

Since the establishment of Armenia, Azerbaijanis have inhabited Western Azerbaijan, which has been occupied by Armenians with the support of their allies. Armenians were relocated from different parts of the world to these areas, where they were granted “local status” or repatriate status. However, for Armenians worldwide, the territory of Armenia is not regarded as a homeland. The entities established in these regions under various circumstances are collectively referred to as the Republic of Armenia.

The first Armenians moved to Western Azerbaijan from the territory of Cilicia (modern-day Türkiye) to present-day Uchkilsa in 1441, following a decision made by the Karakoyunlu ruler Jahanshah. Prior to the establishment of the Afshar Empire, the lands of West Azerbaijan were primarily known as the Chukhursaad region and had their own administrative leaders. In 1747, Mirmehdi Khan founded the Iravan Khanate.

Over the past century, Azerbaijanis from Western Azerbaijan have been forced to migrate three times:

- 1905-1920s
- 1948-1953
- 1988-1992

As a result of........

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