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Iran Suspected in Azerbaijan Unrest
(UPI) Iran is suspected of instigating trouble in neighboring Azerbaijan, a key source of oil for the West. Following a growing number of protest demonstrations in Baku, the government of President Ilham Aliyev has openly accused Tehran of interfering in its domestic affairs. Azerbaijan's population is 85% Shiite Muslim. Baku is concerned about Tehran's political and financial support for the Islamic Party of Azerbaijan, a pro-Iranian Shiite opposition party that is banned by Aliyev's regime. The Israelis say Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hizbullah are active in Azerbaijan and in 2008 plotted to blow up the Israeli Embassy in Baku.