Iranian military exercises directed against Azerbaijan - Tofig Zulfugarov

Baku/17.10.22/Turan: The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) exercises in northern Iran are directed against Azerbaijan, ex-Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Tofig Zulfugarov told Turan.

On Monday morning, military exercises of the ground forces of the IRGC of Iran began in the area of ​​the Araz River, in the provinces of East Azerbaijan and Ardabil.

The commander of the ARIA of the IRGC, Mohammad Pakpour, said that at various stages of the exercises, the following would be carried out: a night offensive, a combat attack by helicopters and drones, as well as building a pontoon bridge across the Araz River, seizing and controlling communication lines and heights.

According to Zulfugarov, these exercises are an attempt to put pressure on Baku in connection with the Zangezur corridor project. Iran sees this as a threat to its overland communication with Armenia. Tensions are rising,” he said.

In fact, the interests of Iran dictate the functioning of the Zangezur corridor and the restoration of the North-South corridor. “The restoration of the railway communication is in the interests of Iran and other countries of the region. But there are forces that oppose,” Zulfugarov said.

It is possible that the weakening of the positions of the Russian Federation in some circles of Iran causes a temptation to seize the initiative in the region. “This is an erroneous opinion, because the Azerbaijani-Turkish military cooperation, and Azerbaijan's cooperation with other countries, makes it possible to restrain such attempts. Nevertheless, Azerbaijan must be ready to take reciprocal steps,” the ex-minister noted. ---06B---