Iranian Military Exercises Begin Near Azerbaijan Border

Iranian authorities have commenced military exercises along the country's northern border, reports Sputnik Armenia, citing the Iranian news agency IRNA.

The drills have started in the northwest of the country, deploying armored units, artillery, drones, and helicopters from ground forces' air force.

“These exercises are conducted in border regions of the country as part of a program to test the weapons and military equipment of the armed forces and assess combat readiness,” said Brigadier General Kiomars Heydari, commander of Iran's ground forces.

During the exercises, the drone division of the Iranian ground forces collected and transmitted information to the command post, while the rapid response 25th brigade carried out maneuvers.

Previously, the commander of the Iranian ground forces announced that the military would conduct exercises named “Conquerors of Heybari” in the northwest of Iran.

Earlier, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev commented on the Iranian exercises in an interview with Anadolu Agency, expressing surprise as to why they had not taken place earlier. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh stated that conducting exercises in northwestern Iran is the country's sovereign right.

Later, the deputy commander of the IRGC, Ali Sardar Fadavi, compared the reaction of Azerbaijan's leadership to that of a child.