Iran Holds Major War Exercises While Vowing to ‘Take Whatever Action Is Necessary’ Against Israel

Iran staged navy workouts close to the border with Azerbaijan Friday to apparently warn its neighbors to not play good with Israel.

Though tensions between Azerbaijan and Iran have flared over a tax imposed on Iranian vans hauling provides to Azerbaijan’s enemy Armenia, feedback from Iranian officers made it clear that Azerbaijan was getting a dose of intimidation as a result of its pleasant ties with Israel, based on Reuters.

“Iranian state media mentioned the workouts concerned armoured and artillery items, in addition to drones and helicopters,” the outlet reported. “They kicked off close to the Poldasht and Jolfa border crossings with Azerbaijan.”

“Iran doesn’t tolerate the Zionist regime’s exercise in opposition to its nationwide safety and can take no matter motion is critical,” Iranian Overseas Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian reportedly mentioned of an Israeli presence alongside Iran’s borders.

Iranian floor forces commander Brig. Gen. Kioumars Heidari mentioned Iran will  “respect good neighborly relations however we don’t tolerate the presence of Zionist regime components and Islamic State terrorists within the area,” based on The Times of Israel.

Iran and Azerbaijan share 430 miles of border.

On Tuesday, Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the land forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, mentioned Iran doesn’t need its neighbors “to be a breeding floor for the evil deeds of the Zionist regime,” based on The Jerusalem Post.

“The Islamic Republic expects our neighboring border areas and neighboring nations to be a secure and safe surroundings for nations and the area,” he mentioned.

“Subsequently, it’s anticipated that whereas being doubly delicate to this, they won’t enable a international component such because the Zionist regime, whose conspiracies and malice with the Muslim nations aren’t hidden from anybody, to make the soil of our neighbors a bedrock to attain its evil and prison targets.”

Pakpour mentioned Israel is making an attempt to divide Muslim nations that ought to stand united in opposition to it.

“We can’t settle for that some nations, beneath the affect of third nations, make unrealistic and provocative statements relating to the promotion of the readiness of the fight items of the Islamic Republic and undermine our actions,” Pakpour mentioned.

“Neighboring governments know higher than anybody else the explanations for holding Iranian workouts.”

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev this week mentioned he was stunned by the Iranian saber-rattling.

“Each nation can perform any navy drill by itself territory. It’s their sovereign proper. However why now, and why on our border?” he mentioned, based on The Instances of Israel.

Iranian international ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh mentioned Tuesday Iran’s workouts “are a query of sovereignty.”

Aliyev additionally questioned why Iran wanted to truck provides to one in every of Azerbaijan’s enemies, utilizing Azerbaijan’s territory to get there.

“Is that this market actually so vital?” Aliyev mentioned, based on the Publish. “Is that this commerce actually so vital that you simply present such outright disrespect for a rustic you take into account pleasant and fraternal?”