The protests that began on December 28, 2025, and engulfed all of Iran, exposed many internal cracks within the country. While the global media and the media of neighbouring countries mostly highlighted fractures within the government, it was also noticeable that there were certain cracks among the protesters themselves.

One of these cracks was the limited or partial participation of Iranian Azerbaijanis in these protests. It should be noted that Azerbaijanis hold a unique place in Iran’s statehood and history. In detail, no ethnic group in Iran makes up 50% of the population. It is not clear whether the national ethnic majority belongs to the Persians or the Azerbaijanis. Additionally, with only minor interruptions from the Arab conquest until the rise of the Pahlavi dynasty in the 1920s, Iran was officially ruled by the Azerbaijani dynasties. In fact, even today, Iran’s highest-ranking religious leader, Khamenei, and the country’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, are Azerbaijani.

Furthermore, the founder of the Safavid Empire, who is considered the founder of the modern Iranian state, was also Azerbaijani. Although from 1920 to the 1970s, Iranian governance linked state traditions to the Persian empires of the Medes and the Achaemenids, they were forced to share power with Azerbaijan and Azerbaijanis. More precisely, it is known from history that the state religion of both empires was Zoroastrianism, and when the shahs ascended the throne, they had to visit on food the centre of Zoroastrianism in Atropatene (Azerbaijan) from the capital. This legitimised their rule. In other words, Iranian........

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