Iran and Armenia simulate border threats in joint military drills
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Iran and Armenia conducted two days of joint military drills, involving high-level military personnel, which the two said involved simulated terrorist threats targeting border checkpoints.
The exercises were conducted last week on Iranian and Armenian territory along their 44-kilometre shared border, involving both light and heavy weaponry, as well as sniper scenarios.
For the drills, Tehran had sent in Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) elite forces, based in Tabriz, overseen by General Valiollah Madani, Deputy Commander of the IRGC Ground Forces.
Iranian officials said the exercise was conducted "to consolidate the security of the borders based on the shared interests of the two countries," according to Iranian state media.
Armenia's Ministry of Defence said that the exercises were related to "attacks by simulated terrorist groups" on border crossings, but it did not disclose the number of military personnel involved.
The joint military exercises come amid ongoing tensions over Iran's nuclear program and the longstanding conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Despite Armenia's recent shift towards closer ties with the West, it maintains warm relations with Tehran. Meanwhile, the South Caucasus country's borders with Azerbaijan and Turkey have been closed for over three decades.
Last month, both Armenia and Azerbaijan announced that progress has been made on the text of a peace treaty to end their nearly four-decades-long conflict over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
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