Iranian Azerbaijanis
Most of the Iranian Azerbaijanis call themselves and are referred to as "Turks" but also insist on their Iranian identity, buttressed not only by the religious bond (being mostly Shia Muslim in contrast to the Turkish people of Anatolia, who are Sunni Muslims) but also by cultural, historical, and economic factors. Iranian Azerbaijanis are committed to Iranian culture and consider their destiny to be with the Persians rather than with "other Turks". Because of this, morerecently, in World War II, contact with the Azerbaijanis in Soviet Union were not overly cordial.