Southern Azerbaijan

Southern Azerbaijan / Cenubi Azerbaycan

Wiki[link]

Divided between Russia and Persian in 1828,
The Turkic speaking people of Azerbaijan live today in an independent Republic of Azerbaijan (North)
and three provinces of the Islamic Republic of Iran (South).

The southern part attempted independence after WWII with the Soviet support, but was soon
abandoned to the mercy of the Pahlevi dynasty.

After returning to Iranian sovereignty, Azeris had the use of their language banned, until the advent
of the Islamic revolution of 1979. However after 1983, with the consolidation of the Ayatollah's
regime the calls for autonomy were suppressed. Independent North Azerbaijan, preoccupied with the conflicts with Armenia,
offered very little support tot their southern brothers, avoiding tensions with Iran.

In Iran, ethnic Azeris have a history of being wel integrated into the highest power structures ( Ayatollah Khomeini, for one, is Azeri) but nevertheless,
there are multiple movements seeking autonomy or unification with North Azerbaijan.

Note that flag is a version of another common used one [link]