Iran kicks off military exercises in northwest
Army Ground Forces are holding maneuvers in open areas in northwestern Iran, near the country's border with Azerbaijan.
Military drills are underway in the northwestern region of Iran, near the Azerbaijan border. The maneuvers started on Friday and involve armored units as well as artillery, drones and military helicopters, according to the official IRNA news agency.
The drills, codenamed Fatehan-e Khaybar (Conquerors of Khaybar), kicked off after a ceremony, with the commander of the Iranian Army's Ground Force Brigadier General Kioumars Heydari and representatives of the General Staff of the Armed Forces in attendance.
Various types of home-grown military equipment will be used during the drills, while four new indigenous military capabilities, including a long-endurance drone which can hit its targets with pinpoint accuracy, electronic warfare systems that can be very effective in defense and offense, and two anti-tank rifles will be tested, and their range and accuracy will be measured during the maneuvers.
Iran’s Armed Forces regularly hold military exercises to elevate their preparedness. The drills also serve as a warning message to the enemies against any act of aggression against the Islamic Republic.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has criticized Tehran over the drills, saying that he was “very surprised” by Iran’s decision to hold drills close to his country’s borders, and questioned the timing of the maneuvers.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, Saeed Khatibzadeh, has said that the drills are simply a question of sovereignty, adding that the Islamic Republic “will not tolerate the presence of the Zionist regime near its borders,” pointing to the close relations between Azerbaijan and Israel.
A major supplier of arms to Azerbaijan, Israel came under diplomatic fire from Armenia during last year's conflict between the Caucasus neighbors.
Iran and Azerbaijan share a border of around 700 kilometers.
