Judging by recent trends, the architects of the new world order see Armenia as, firstly, an exclusively pro-Western country and, secondly, serving as an "artificial divide" in the trans-Eurasian transit routes. They want to continue to use Armenia as a geopolitical counterweight to Turkey and other states that gravitate towards it.

However, Armenia has a significant disadvantage - its economic, demographic and military potential is extremely low. Therefore, it seems that the model of a mono-ethnic and hostile state was decided to be transferred to Iran. The country is much larger than Armenia, more populous, economically developed, multi-ethnic and, so far, more or less independent in its policies.

The further one goes, the more confirmation there is that "secular" Persian nationalists, backed by the West, are behind the current protests in Iran, who want a return to the days of the Pahlavi dynasty. The policy of that dynasty, it should be recalled, was characterised by the imposition from above of both "Western" mores and aggressive Persian or "Great Iranian" nationalism, accompanied by the oppression of the Turks living in Iran, above all Azerbaijanis.

After the catastrophic earthquake in the city of Khoy in the province of West Azerbaijan, instead of sympathizing with the victims, one of the information resources of the protest organizers - the telegram channel "Voice of Protest Iran" burst into an anti-Azerbaijani publication (https://t.me/c/1793489574/30978 ):

"...In Azerbaijan's Khoy, in November, people chanted in Persian "from Khoy to Kurdistan, give your life for Iran", "from Khoy to Kurdistan give your life for Ize (in Khuzestan)". The wet dreams of those who want to ruin Iran will remain dreams.

You still don't understand what "Iran" is. You have only one chance to unite, as you say, with "southern" Azerbaijan - to return to Iran."

Naturally, Armenian nationalists immediately reacted enthusiastically to this publication and one of them, Ernest Vardanyan, wrote:

"In case anyone doesn't know, this is a channel for opponents of the Ayatollah regime, supporters of a secular Iran and even the return of the Shah.  Note that the opponents of the Ayatollahs are also opponents of the pan-Turkists, so vain are the hopes of those who expect to snatch a bigger piece from Iran after the inevitable collapse of the obscurantists.".

Supporters of the Pahlevi restoration were quick to reaffirm their nationalist sentiments:

"Dear Ernest Vardanian wrote this clarification (https://t.me/ErnestV_2020/36673) to my post about Iranian patriotic slogans (https://t.me/PrinceOfPersiaRu/3081) in the Azerbaijani city of Khoy, and about my explanations.  I wanted to say that everything is absolutely correct. The territorial integrity of Iran is one of the most important pillars in our fight against the regime. It is the fear that under the current regime, the importance of this integrity may suffer, in addition to all personal reasons, that is the basis of our revolt.

If we do not save our country in the next 2-3 years, its fate will remain murky and perhaps Iran will cease to exist as such.

If the trend of decaying society and deteriorating living conditions as a result of the Islamic Republic's rule continues, secessionist sentiments in the ethnic border regions will definitely increase. Therefore, we are saving ourselves along with our country.

On the other hand, what foreign observers do not pay attention to is the fact that Iranian nationalism began to form several hundred years before the emergence and formation of nations in Europe. Therefore, European science does not understand that there is an Iranian nationality, and that what Europeans call "Iranian nationalities" is simply an ethnicity for Iranians.

That is, any Iranian - not in the sense of a citizen of Iran, but in the sense of national self-determination - is first an Iranian and then a Persian, Azeri, Kurd, Lur, Ahwazi, Baluch and so on.  For Europeans, Iran is a multinational country. For Iranians it is a mono-ethnic state with a rich ethnic composition.

Again, Iranian is a nationality. By subjective estimates and based on observations of various processes I think this is true for 80% of Iranians.  For the remaining 20% ethnic identity is a priority, and some of them are supporters of separatism, but disguise it as ideas of federalism, or openly declare separatism.

Apart from all that, another reason why the preservation of the territorial integrity of Iran is important and has no particular supporters among the enemies of the Islamic Republic is the possibility of the Balkanisation of Iran.

There is a relatively clear ethnic boundary between the regions inhabited by Persians and the other ethnic groups in Iran, but amongst themselves these other ethnic groups are mixed and there is no clear separation. In West Azerbaijan these ethnic boundaries between Azeris, Kurds and Armenians run almost along streets, houses and even beds. It is the same in the contact zones of other ethnic groups. So if Iran suddenly falls apart, the Persians will get off easy, but bloody wars will certainly break out between the other peoples of the country because of the borders of their national states.

The problem will be aggravated by the fact that none of them can lay claim to any particular territory, because we have lived for 3000 years within the same borders and the mixing of peoples has been so deep that everyone has always been everywhere.

On this basis, any adequate person who cares about the welfare of the people living in these areas, and in order to prevent quite possible genocides, will defend the territorial integrity of Iran."

The very word "genocides" suggests that supporters of the Pahlavi dynasty's "secular" power in Iran are co-ordinating their policies with the Armenian lobby. And if the new secular Iran has such "Armenian friends" and if they tell them how to conduct domestic policy, it is fraught with serious upheavals.

Most interestingly, the organisers of the protests themselves admit that these are "pre-emptive" protests. Further crisis of the regime in Tehran could indeed lead to the same Azerbaijanis of Iran and other peoples of the multi-ethnic country remembering their national identity amid disillusionment with the Ayatollahs. Moreover, the Azerbaijanis of Iran are less and less satisfied with the anti-Turkish and anti-Azerbaijani policies of the Tehran regime, as is the support for Yerevan and the "Artsakh" separatists.

However, if those obsessed with creating a mono-ethnic "secular" Iran come to power, then the integrity of Iran is indeed at risk. After all, they make no secret of the fact that they intend to nullify what is now thinly-softly uniting the various peoples of Iran - the Muslim, Shiite religious identity. 

Under such conditions, it is unrealistic to "consolidate" a mono-ethnic country on the basis of "secular" Persian nationalism, building a "united Iranian nation" on its foundation. Although, apparently, the revolutionaries may try to do so by force, terror and repression, artificially conducting "accelerated" assimilation of the non-Persian population and eradication of national languages and cultures (as the Pahlavi dynasty did until 1979). This will not lead the people of the present Islamic Republic of Iran to anything good.

George Mazniashvili