How hijab dispute is opening new front in Iran-Azerbaijan tensions

TEHRAN — Ali Akbar Velayati, international affairs adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, has used Azerbaijan’s recent school hijab controversy as a pointed challenge to Baku’s relationship with Israel, questioning whether the country is fit to host the Islamic world’s most prominent summit.

In an Oct. 14 post on X, Velayati presented Azerbaijan with a choice between “preserving faith” and “friendship with Tel Aviv.” Referring to the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) held in Baku last week, he asked: “Turkey left the hall during [Israeli President Isaac] Herzog’s speech at the CICA summit, so what did Baku do? A warm welcome.”

He also questioned Azerbaijan’s suitability to host the 2027 summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), linking its restrictions on headscarves in schools to its willingness to welcome Herzog.

The intervention marks a shift from Iranian officials’ earlier reluctance to comment on the hijab dispute, which had largely been driven by hard-line media. It also brings a domestic controversy into a broader geopolitical contest over Azerbaijan’s ties with Israel and its standing in the Muslim world.