IRGC showcases mechanized brigade in NW border amid Azeri-Armenian war
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has showcased a mechanized brigade for the protection of the country’s northwestern border amid the current firefight between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the much-disputed Nagorno-Karabakh area.
The Corps’ Sepah News outlet announced the deployment on
Sunday. It specified the dispatched force as the Ground Force’s Emam-e Zaman
Mechanized Brigade comprising tanks and other military equipment.
The location of the deployment was reported to be the areas
running alongside the border in the Khoda Afarin and Jolfa Counties.
The precaution is said to have been taken for the
“preservation of the northwestern borders’ security,” according to the report.
An IRGC member stated that the brigade has been tasked with
“defending the country’s territorial integrity” and the people residing in
those areas.
Since September 27, Armenian separatists in Azerbaijan’s
breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh have been engaged in very harsh battles
against Azeri forces.
The clashes have so far killed more than 1,000, including
civilians, most of whom belong to the Azeri side. The flare-up has been the
worst violence to break out between the two sides since 1992, when the
separatists invaded the region, forcing the Azeri side into a retreat.
Two rounds of truce talks have thus far failed to calm the
situation that took a turn for the worse earlier on Sunday.
A number of stray shells and projectiles have unfortunately crossed the
Iranian border, prompting stern warnings from Tehran.
Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami put the
warring sides on notice earlier this month, adding that Tehran would respond beyond
only warnings if the security of Iran’s border regions were endangered.
Speaking in an interview with the French newspaper Le
Figaro, Azeri President Ilham Aliyev, however, reassured Iran that his country
had completely “cleaned” the border area.
“There will be no more inconvenience for our brothers across
river of Araz (Aras) in Iran,” he said.
IRGC Ground Force Commander, Brigadier General Mohammad
Pakpour, also visited the border region this past Saturday. He said even though some of
the projectiles had landed on the Iranian soil during the firefight, “security
prevails over [our] borders, and no danger threatens the country.”
The Islamic Republic has strongly advised both sides to refrain from seeking any military solution to the conflict and
resume negotiations. Tehran has also offered to provide diplomatic intervention
if a request was ever made.
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