Amid increasing tension between Tehran and Baku, Azerbaijan's defense minister Safar Abiyev visited Iran on Monday and promised that his country would not be used as a platform from which to attack Iran. Press TV reports:

The relations between the two neighbors have been strained after Azerbaijan signed a USD 1.5 billion deal with Israel to purchase drones and anti-aircraft and missile systems.

Last month, Tehran summoned Azeri Ambassador Javanshir Akhundov to protest Baku’s agreement.

However, Azeri officials said that the weapons were being purchased to liberate 20 percent of the country’s occupied territories.

If there other, more important subjects that the two sides discussed, they weren't reported. So was the main purpose of the visit for Azerbaijan to reassure Iran about the Israeli weapons? It seems like Iran must have known better. Indeed, Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahedi downplayed the significance of the Israeli weapons, according to News.az:

Azerbaijan-Israel arms deal is not new and this deal was signed some time ago. It has no connection with Iran-Azerbaijan relations. Iran is ready to assist Azerbaijan in the defense field and to organize joint trainings.

But it also would seem a strange time to start discussing joint military trainings and so on, as Iran and Azerbaijan don't have particularly close military relations. There have been other recent high-level discussions between the two countries: Last week, their foreign ministers (plus Turkey's) met in the Azerbaijan exclave of Nakhchivan.

Anyway, Abiyev also laid flowers on the grave of the Ayatollah Khomenei and discussed Nagorno Karabakh with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. It seems clear Azerbaijan won't take part in any war with Iran, but was there something else up with this visit? We'll have to wait and see.