"

Ali, please, provide us with neutral third-party reports, citing ""Iranian Azerbaijanis for the most part consider themselves Iranian"". I believe the ethnolinguistic background of Turkic-speaking Azerbaijanis inhabitting Iranian Azerbaijan and Republic of Azerbaijan is well defined and unique, so that it's distinguished from just Iranian or Turkish. After all, we don't just plainly define French people as Romans or English people as Germanic.  
I believe Azerbaijani and Kurdish background in introduction well explains the ethnic background mix of Safavids, do the point that we don't to dispute over this controversial and ever-non-compromising subject any more. And I would prefer if we avoid further additions of Iranian, Persian, Turkish or else to describe the background of Safavids, suffice it to say that no such state as Persia or Iran existed in 1501 when Safavids rose to power. Thanks.  "