IRGC ‘Eghtedar 1401’ drill in the northwest of Iran

The exercise ‘Eghtedar 1401’ was held for four days from October 17 to 20 in the Aras border area located in Iran’s East Azarbaijan and Ardabil provinces.

This military exercise has a wider geographical scope, force and equipment, so that it covers the entire border strip of Ardabil and East Azerbaijan provinces.

In this exercise, the various units of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ground forces conducted heli-borne operations, parachuting, night raid operations, helicopter combat operations, combat and suicide drone operations, construction of pontoon bridge over the Aras River, etc., with the aim of improving the readiness of the IRGC to help other Iranian armed forces in order to defend the borders of the country and respond to recent threats from foreign countries.

Major General Hossein Salami, Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, said at the opening ceremony of the ‘Eghtedar 1401’ drill: “Unfortunately, the Zionist regime has infiltrated the countries of the south and northwest of Iran. We tell the governments of those countries not to let Israel into your country because they are the source of insecurity and evil. We will defend our security decisively and authoritatively in any situation, but you will be in trouble. The principle of our policy with our neighbors is based on friendship and good neighborliness and correct political interaction, but if through these neighbors the security of the Iranian nation is endangered and our country is threatened, then our policy will also change.”

Eghtedar 1401 military exercise is the third exercise of the Iranian Armed Forces in the northwestern regions of Iran, after the second Karabakh war.

After the second Karabakh war and the domination of the Republic of Azerbaijan on all its border lines with Armenia, claims have been made about the ownership of the southern lands of Armenia by the Republic of Azerbaijan. The president of Azerbaijan has directly and indirectly emphasized the military aggression on the territory of Armenia and the tensions in the Caucasus region are still strong.
On the other hand, Iran has clearly stated its opposition to any military aggression in the Caucasus region. Iran has declared that no country has the right to change the geopolitical borders of the Caucasus region, and in case of a new military aggression by anyone in this region, Iran will deal with this issue strongly.
Therefore, Iran’s Eghtedar 1401 exercise in the north-western borders of the country is clearly a strong warning for the Republic of Azerbaijan and any other aggressor country.

Read more: Opinion: Iran Increasingly Uneasy About Threats to Common Border With Armenia