My father’s grandmother was Armenian, which is why I’ve been reading on Armenians in the Middle East for a while now.

The pro-Armenian stance of Iran comes down to the fact that a weak Azerbaijan is in the Islamic Republic’s best interest. Iran is home to 15 million Azeris, so the government is concerned about potential separist movements. Furthermore, both Azerbaijan and Iran are majority Shia Muslim. However, since Azerbaijan has rejected the establishing of an Islamic Order, the relations between the two countries are strained.

Also, Armenians have lived for centuries in the area that now compromises Iran; so they did not come to Iran as escaping refugees.