Iran Warns Against ‘Harsh’ Soviet Moves in Azerbaijan

The Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s spiritual leader, warned Wednesday against “miscalculated and harsh” measures by Soviet troops in the strife-torn Soviet republic of Azerbaijan.

But displaying the caution that has marked Iranian comments on the violence in Azerbaijan, Khamenei leavened his warning with praise for the loosening of religious restraints under Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev.

He said that the Azerbaijanis--the majority of them are Shiite Muslims as are their Iranian relatives across the border--are asserting themselves as Muslims after decades of religious suppression.

As the ayatollah’s remarks were reported here, he did not dwell on the bloody clashes between Azerbaijanis and Armenians, who are largely Christian. The official Iranian news agency quoted him as saying: “It is a great blunder to think that ethnic and national motives are behind this. The sentiments are Islamic and have their attractions for 1 billion Muslims worldwide.”

Mahmoud Vaezi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, took the same line Tuesday at a meeting in Tehran with Soviet Ambassador Vladimir Gudev, according to an Iranian state television report.

“We believe the peaceful settlement of problems and paying attention to the people’s demands can create grounds for preventing violent clashes,” Vaezi was quoted as saying.

A number of Muslims occupy a belt of Soviet territory just across the border from Iran, and Moscow has kept a close watch on Iranian fundamentalism over the past decade. The bond between the people on both sides is a sensitive issue.

Iranian television continued to show film of Soviet Azerbaijanis crossing the Araks River, which divides them from their ethnic brethren in Iran. The Iranian news agency reported that 30 crossed Tuesday.

Iranian officials have said they are seeking an agreement with Moscow to permit 50,000 Soviet Azerbaijanis to cross the border annually. The Iranian press quoted a Soviet television station in Baku, the Azerbaijani capital, as saying a high-ranking Soviet delegation will visit Tehran before the end of the month to discuss the travel regulations.

Azerbaijani nationalists on the Soviet side have been demonstrating for a more open border for the last two weeks. On the opposite bank, their Iranian kin have encouraged them.