Iran Holds Military Exercises on Border Amid Tensions With Azerbaijan 

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is conducting navy workouts alongside the nation’s border with Azerbaijan amid indicators of tensions between the 2 international locations.

Iran’s state-run IRNA information company has reported that the maneuvers, which commenced Monday within the northwestern area, had been being held in accordance with a pre-planned, annual exercise calendar.

The situation of the workouts, which embrace Iran’s East Azerbaijan and Ardabil provinces, is residence to a big ethnic Azerbaijani inhabitants.

Mohammad Pakpour, floor forces commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — often known as Sepah — stated the workouts embrace training development of a bridge over the Arax River and seize of strategic positions.

“The message of those workouts for the neighboring international locations is the strengthening of peace, friendship and steady safety, and for the enemies it’s that the IRGC is able to defend the borders of the nation and reply to any threats,” IRNA stated, citing Pakpour.

Baku given discover, Iran says

The Iranian Embassy in Azerbaijan issued a press release on the workouts, saying Tehran had given Baku advance discover of the drills, which navy leaders from each international locations mentioned.

“The chief of employees of the Iranian armed forces [Mohammad Hossein] Bagheri had a telephone dialog with the minister of protection of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Zakir Hasanov, throughout which some proposals had been made relating to cooperation in conducting workouts,” the assertion learn. “The relations between Iran and Azerbaijan, that are two pleasant and brotherly international locations, have all the time been the goal of in depth propaganda by the enemies, however the vigilance of the leaders of the 2 international locations prevented them from reaching their objectives.”

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi mentioned safety points on the sidelines of an October 13 regional summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Throughout these talks, Aliyev advised Raisi that Azerbaijan was persevering with efforts to make sure peace and safety within the Caspian Sea and the South Caucasus area, in line with a press release posted on Aliyev’s official web site.

In July, Iran’s Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed concern a couple of transport hall promoted by Azerbaijan as “Zangezur Hall,” which seeks to attach Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan exclave with the mainland through Armenia’s Syunik province, which borders Iran, an thought rejected by the Armenian authorities.

“After all, if there’s a coverage meant to dam the Iran-Armenia border, the Islamic Republic will oppose it, for this border is a 1000s-year-old connecting route,” Khamenei tweeted.

Caucasus concern

In a telephone name Monday with Azerbaijani Minister of International Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov, prime Iranian diplomat Hossain Amir-Abdollahian described the presence of international forces within the Caucasus as a typical concern amongst nations within the area, emphasizing Tehran’s opposition to deployments within the space.

Talking with Iran’s semiofficial ISNA information company on Sunday, Brigadier Common Ali Akbar Pourjamshidian, deputy coordinator of IRGC floor forces, emphasised the significance of stability and safety all through the Caucasus area. Whereas the Islamic Republic doesn’t take into account Azerbaijan a risk to Iran, Pourjamshidian stated, Tehran considered “the presence of the Zionist regime within the Caucasus area” as a critical risk to the complete space, in an obvious reference to Israel.

In line with quite a few regional shops, Iran’s Raisi broached the difficulty of an alleged Israeli navy presence in Azerbaijan whereas assembly with Aliyev on the sidelines of the Caspian Sea littoral states summit this summer time in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

The newest navy drills come simply weeks after an early October go to to Azerbaijan by Israel’s protection minister.

Israel is certainly one of Azerbaijan’s largest weapons suppliers, and Tehran has lengthy espoused issues about Azerbaijan’s navy cooperation with Israel, with whom it lately signed new navy and safety agreements.

Iran’s navy workouts on the border have additionally been met with some criticism in Azerbaijan.

In feedback to Voice of America, Tofig Zulfugarov, a former Azerbaijan international minister, described Iran’s navy drills as actions directed towards his nation.

“The pursuits of some circles, particularly the Sepah, are behind these workouts,” he stated. “As a result of the upkeep of the reference to Armenia has been repeatedly expressed on behalf of the officers of the Sepah. The strain on this course can also be growing.”

Tapdig Farhadoglu and Hamid Malikoglu contributed to this report, which originated in VOA’s Azerbaijani Service.