Iranian military to hold drill over Azerbaijani objections
President Ilham Aliyev criticized a planned military exercise close to the Iran-Azerbaijani border.
Iran's military will hold a drill close to the border with Azerbaijan on Friday.
The ground forces of the Iranian Army will conduct the war game in northwest Iran. Units from the army’s armored, artillery, drone, electronic warfare and helicopter divisions will participate in the drill for combat readiness, the semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported Thursday.
The move follows critical comments made recently by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Speaking to Turkey’s official Anadolu Agency, the leader questioned why Iran was holding a drill so close to the border.
“Every country can carry out any military drill on its own territory. It’s their sovereign right,” said Aliyev. “But why now, and why on our border?”
