The exercises took place in open areas in northwestern Iran, said state television, which showed tanks, howitzers and helicopters firing at targets on the ground. "We respect good neighbourly relations but we do not tolerate the presence of Zionist regime (Israeli) elements and Islamic State terrorists in the region," ground forces commander Brigadier General Kioumars Heydari told state TV. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev had criticized the Iranian war games in an interview published on Monday. "The drills carried out by our country in the northwest border areas... are a question of sovereignty," Khatibzadeh said in a statement on Tuesday. Iran and Azerbaijan share a border of around 700 kilometres.

Source: Dhaka Tribune October 01, 2021 15:22 UTC