Thanks. I didn’t realize that the Azeris were mostly Shi’ites. One of the mysterious leaks-to-make-Obama-look-good recently featured Azerbaijan, which is the only indication I had seen lately of their leanings.
Azeris are Shi’ite. Azerbaijan used to be part of Persia. In fact, a dynasty that was possibly Azeri converted Persia from Sunni Islam to Shia Islam to justify their refusal to submit to the Sultan of the Ottoman Turks who was also the Caliph.
Imperial Russia took norther Azerbaijan, while Arran remained Persian. I believe that about 20% of Iranians are Azeri. A pro-Western Azeri government is a threat to Iran, especially since ethnic Persians are no longer a majority. A few years ago, the Iranian remine needed to use soldiers of different ethnicities to help the Revolutionary Guards in cracking down on protests.