Iran dismisses Azerbaijan's concern over military drills, cites Israeli presence

Iran, on Tuesday, invoked its “sovereignty” to dismiss Azerbaijan’s concern over Iranian military exercises near their 700 kilometer long mutual border. Speaking at a press conference, a spokesperson for the Islamic Republic’s Foreign Ministry asserted that the drills were a question of Iran's “sovereignty” and added that the country will not tolerate “presence of zionist regime near its international borders.” Indirectly accusing its adversary of intrusion, Saeed Khatibzadeh further said that Tehran will take all measures it deems necessary to safeguard “national security.” 

Earlier this week, the Islamic Republic conducted “surprising” military drills on their shared border, eventually attracting ire from Azeri President. “Every country can carry out any military drill on its own territory. It’s their sovereign right. But why now, and why on our border?” he said in an interview with Turkish news agency Anadolu highlighting that the drills were the first since the independence of Azerbaijan 30 years ago. 

Regional alliances

Diplomatic relations between Iran and Azerbaijan were established in the 1990s. However, Azerbaijan being secular non-muslim state shares close ties wth Israel -- the regional adversary of Iran. Last year, Baku bought high grade weapons from the zionists, leading to a diplomatic flareup between Israel and Armenia. Additionally, Israel and Iran have been at loggerheads for decades and their apparent support to conflicting parties in the Caucasus region has only exacerbated their rivalry. 

6,500 lives lost during Azerbaijan-Armenia's 44 day war

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan commenced in September last year and soon escalated in what experts labelled as a “regional war.” As attacks and ambushes escalated, it drew involvement from Turkey and Russia. The dispute claimed over 6,500 lives, mostly civilians from the warring sides, before a Russia brokered peace pact, led to Armenia ceding areas it had controlled for decades.

However, the peace was short-lived and in May, Armenia accused Azerbaijan of crossing its southern boundaries. Since then, tensions have escalated with both countries reporting occasional shootouts along their shared border. Pertaining to the same, the EU Council chief called on the now dormant Minsk group to “assume its responsibilities” and “address different topics.”

(Representative Image: AP)