Azerbaijani, Turkish and Pakistani war games appear to prompt Iran to move infantry to border

Iran appears to have moved infantry divisions and rocket artillery to its northwestern border with Azerbaijan amid indignation in Tehran at military exercises performed by the self-styled “Three Brothers” – Azerbaijan, Turkey and Pakistan -and attempts by Baku to hinder Iranian trade flows that are important to the ethnic Armenians of the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave.

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[The] war games organised by Baku, Ankara and Islamabad….by all accounts compelled Tehran to send troops and weapons, including armed drones, to the border with Azerbaijan in a show of force…..Another annoyance was Turkey’s participation last week with Azerbaijani forces in submarine and defence group armed forces exercises on the Caspian Sea – the Iranian foreign ministry has referred to the “illegality” of the Turkish presence as regards a convention signed by the states with a Caspian coast.

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…Matters escalated on September 15 when Baku confirmed it had detained two Iranian truck drivers. Tehran attempts to show a studied neutrality in the dispute between Baku and the Armenians over Nagorno-Karabakh, but the move against the trucks has tested its patience.

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As part of the deployment of troops, Iran on September 20 reportedly tested the Mohajer-6 armed drones of the IRGC’s aerospace division.

Closing ceremony of Three Brothers 2021 war games