Iran Launches Air Defense Exercise

5 m.   |  2020-10-23

T ehran is extremely sensitive in the issue of ensuring stability and security in the South Caucasus, as it has been in a proxy-hybrid war with Israel and the United States in different zones of the Middle East for years. Therefore, the launch of the hostilities next to its immediate borders by Azerbaijan and Turkey may become a new stage for a mediated conflict.

It should be noted that because of the recent hostilities, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict not only left the Armenian-Azerbaijani confrontation, but also doesn’t fit into the logic of Turkey-Russia confrontation. Tel Aviv and other foreign players are directly or indirectly involved in the hostilities and military-political processes around it.

In the last days of the hostilities, attempts of the Israeli-made UAVs to enter into the Iranian airspace became more frequent, which were hit by Iranian air defense forces. It’s noteworthy that part of them were hit not in the Southern regions of Artsakh but in the airspace of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

It was also noted that Israeli-made UAVs which are used against Artsakh are operated by experienced Israeli operators. Thus, it’s not difficult to guess that they appeared in the Iranian airspace not as a result of incorrect calculations, but rather as a result of provocations. It seems that they try to involve Iran in the hostilities. Moreover, the Syrian terrorist groups transferred to Azerbaijan by Turkey currently appeared on the Artsakh-Iranian border, against whom Tehran and Moscow have been carrying anti-terrorist operations in Syria for years.

At the initial stage, Tehran only made tough statements, which were then followed by practical steps: on October 21, large-scale air defense exercises were launched in Iran, which cover about half of the country’s territory.

The joint air defense exercise named “Guardians of Velayat Sky-99”, was attended both by air defense units from the country’s Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) [1]. It is envisaged to use from long-range to short-range air defense systems, UAVs and fighters, various types of missile systems, radio-electronic systems and means of communication during the military exercises [2]. The aim of the military exercises is to increase the combat readiness of the country’s armed forces and the harmonious coordination of air defense capabilities and activities.

It should be noted that air defense exercises in Iran are held every year, mainly in autumn [3]. However, some of the experts believe that the holding of military exercises these days may be closely related with the ongoing hostilities along the Iranian border [4]. It should also be noted, that the military exercises are held just a few days after the expiration of the international arms sales embargo on Iran. According to some experts, after the expiration of embargo on October 18, Iran shows its readiness to stimulate both the imports and exports of weapons and military equipment. 

In this regard, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif made the following post on his Twitter account: “Today's normalization of Iran’s defense cooperation with the world is a win for the cause of multilateralism and peace and security in our region”[5].

Source: https://twitter.com/JZarif/status/131756378545

In an interview given to the Iranian IRNA news agency, on October 21, the RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan answered the journalist’s question on what initiative Iran will be able to mediate: “Being one of the most powerful countries in the region, Iran has and can play a role. I think that at this stage the role should be focused on the cessation of hostilities and we welcome any constructive step by Iran aimed at establishing peace and stability in the region” [6].

Nikol Pashinyan also touched upon the issue of foreign forces’ involvement: “It has been confirmed internationally that terrorist mercenaries from Turkey have moved from Syria to the region to carry out military operations. This is a serious threat to the region. However, it is obvious that the presence of terrorists will create threats, and we will still see the consequences in the region. And I think the countries of the region should react more strongly to that fact”.

During the interview, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan also spoke about the use of Israeli-made UAVs by Azerbaijan: “Israeli ATS are widely used by Azerbaijan, and this fact also proves that there are external forces that intervene in different ways” [7].

[1] https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/10

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qZQi91yw

[3] https://razm.info/146791

[4] https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/iran

[5] https://twitter.com/JZarif/status/1317563785457

[6] https://www.primeminister.am/hy/interviews-and

[7] https://www.primeminister.am/hy/interviews-and

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