Authorities in Azerbaijan, a former Soviet republic bordering Iran, have arrested two men suspected of plotting to attack prominent foreigners including Israel's ambassador and a local rabbi, officials and media reported on Wednesday.

The National Security Ministry said the men were connected to an Iranian citizen who had links with Iran's intelligence.

Azerbaijan, a secular Muslim country, is home to more than 9,000 Jews and has friendly ties with Israel and the United States. A major energy producer, it exports oil to Israel and imports weapons and military hardware.

During his visit to Azerbaijan in order to participate in the annual Caspian Oil
and Gas show in Baku, Benjamin Ben-Eliezer said that his country was
interested in exporting Azerbaijani oil. “We and the Azerbaijani side are
interested in transporting Azerbaijani oil from Ceyhan through the ‘AshkelonElot’ pipeline towards the Red Sea and from there to such large markets as
India and China,” he said. “This pipeline is the shortest and cheapest way from
the Mediterranean to the Red Sea”.
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Over the past year, discussions have
begun examining the feasibility of a pipeline corridor – with the possibility of
carrying oil and natural gas from Turkey to Israel. Such a plan, if carried out,
would extend the position of Azerbaijan crude oil to the edge of the Indian
Ocean
In an interview with the Azeri News agency APA, Israeli former Ambassador
Arthur Lenk said that, “Israel is Azerbaijan’s second largest partner in the
business field” on April 29, 2009. “Israel purchases oil from Azerbaijan and it
assumes great importance for us. According to the outcomes of 2008, the
commodity turnover between the two countries totals $180 million, but we
don’t want to be satisfied with this figure. We are eager to have more
business”. The Ambassador also stressed that we will try to increase the trade
turnover between Azerbaijan and Israel, which in January-March 2009 reached
$180 million.
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Nuclear Iran would pose 'no threat' to Azerbaijan

Iran’s possession of nuclear weapons will have no significant impact on the situation in the region, since the possession of nuclear weapons in a number of countries in the region, specifically India, Pakistan and Israel, has not transformed these states into key players in world affairs.

Originally posted by Corruption Exposed
reply to post by xuenchen

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The more I look into this, the more this plot stinks:

Nuclear Iran would pose 'no threat' to Azerbaijan

Iran’s possession of nuclear weapons will have no significant impact on the situation in the region, since the possession of nuclear weapons in a number of countries in the region, specifically India, Pakistan and Israel, has not transformed these states into key players in world affairs.

The article is contradicting. Iran isn't a threat but they're seeking nuclear weapons?

See what they did there?

A mild form of hypnosis.

edit on 26-1-2012 by Corruption Exposed because: holes in my brain and fofgot a word

Could Iran use a nuclear weapon against Israel?

No one in their right mind would use nuclear weapons. Iran would never use a nuclear weapon to put into practice its statements that it will spare no effort to raze Israel from the ground. Any use of this weapon will lead to the end of the world. The leadership of Iran, despite the degree of their religiousness, are sane and realize the implications of such a step.

March 11, 2011 03:30 PM

Iran has been steadily increasing its ties with Mongolia and 2010 was a year of increased Iranian overtures toward Ulaanbaatar. In another manifestation of how democratic Mongolia and Iran are looking towards substantially developing their economic ties, in early December 2010, it was announced that a new Mongolian-Iranian joint venture entitled Bayan Meat, Ltd., had signed a sheep meat export contract with Mongolia’s largest meat slaughterhouse, Mahimpex of Ulaanbaatar. Mahimpex is owned by Jenco, whose wealthy President, Khaltmaa Battulga, has been the Mongolian Minister for Road, Transport, Construction and Urban Development of Mongolia since 2008.

During 2010, Iran had been exploring its options for Mongolian raw uranium. On October 19, 2010, the Mongolian President Ts. Elbegdorj received the newly accredited Iranian Ambassador Mehdi Safari, former Deputy Foreign Minister, who took up his strategic post in Beijing in the summer of 2010 as part of Iran’s plan to shore up Chinese support for its controversial nuclear program (October 19, 2010, politics.news.mn/content/35058.shtml). It may not have been a coincidence that Safari made his first appearance in Ulaanbaatar less than one week after France and Mongolia signed a cooperation agreement in the nuclear energy field, covering uranium exploration and exploitation by Areva, the French nuclear power company. Areva, which has been expanding its presence from Kazakhstan into Asia, has been cooperating with Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation since December 2009 on uranium exploration licenses on more than 14,000 square kilometers in Mongolia’s Dornogobi and Sukhbaatar provinces.

Strong interest by foreign investors in Mongolia’s uranium deposits has been a feature of the past year.