“This joint exercise is a proactive measure to ensure the combat readiness of our forces, confront terrorism, and contribute to sustainable peace in the region,” Brigadier General Valiollah Madani of Iran’s elite military force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), told Iranian media.
Madani said that the two-day drills are designed to bolster security along the Armenian-Iranian border.
“Given the sensitive geopolitical position of this area, the strategic importance of our border with Armenia cannot be overstated,” he said.
Announcing the cross-border exercise earlier on Wednesday, the Armenian Defense Ministry said Armenian and Iranian special forces will simulate a joint operation against imaginary “terrorist groups” attacking the border crossings. It said nothing about the number of participating troops.
Madani also did not give any numbers. He said only that the Iranian participants are elements of the IRGC’s 31st Ashura Operational Division. The division “continues to exemplify operational excellence,” added the general.
A view of the Arax river marking Armenia's border with Iran.
The drills came amid what many in Armenia see as the increased risk of an Azerbaijani invasion aimed at opening a land corridor to Azerbaijan’s Nakhichevan exclave through Syunik, the only Armenian province bordering Iran. Earlier this year, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev renewed his threats to forcibly open such a corridor also sought by Turkey. Aliyev warned on Wednesday that the risk of a “new military confrontation” with Armenia will persist until Yerevan meets Baku’s preconditions for a bilateral peace deal.
Iran has repeatedly warned Azerbaijan as well as Turkey against attempting to strip it of the common border or direct transport links with Armenia. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reaffirmed Tehran’s strong opposition to the so-called “Zangezur corridor” when he visited Yerevan on March 25.
Alen Shadunts, an Armenian expert on Iran, described the joint exercise as an Iranian message to Baku.
“Military exercises held in this format have a deterrent role,” Shadunts told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service. “The Iranian side is thus trying to show that if there is instability in the border area, they will definitely respond in some way.”