The commander of the Iranian Army's Ground Forces has warned enemies that they would be given no breathing space near the country�s borders, adding that there was no immediate threat to border areas amid the ongoing conflict between the Republic of Azerbaijan and neighboring Armenia.
�The enemy must know that we will give [it] no breathing room near Iran�s borders,� Brigadier General Kioumars Heidari told reporters after inspecting border areas with the two warring South Caucasian countries.
Among the areas inspected by the commander was East Azarbaijan Province�s Khoda-Afarin County that has played an unwilling host to some stray bullets from a September 27-present flare-up between the ex-Soviet republics.
Iran has warned that it would not tolerate even accidental violation of its border security as a result of the conflict that has seen the two sides trade heavy deadly fire over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
The escalation and its potential fallout for the Islamic Republic have prompted inspections by Iranian military top brass to the border areas and had Iran�s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) deploy a mechanized brigade in the whereabouts.
Heydari, however, assured that the country�s borders were not under any threat, declaring, �The people of Iran enjoy complete security thanks to the alertness of the Armed Forces.�
The commander�s visit featured appraisal of the operation readiness of the Ground Forces' aerial support groups, including helicopter squadrons, and its land-based defense systems. �We have a duty towards monitoring borders and updating our capabilities,� he added.
The Army, the commander assured again, was invariably and completely ready to defend the areas that run along the Islamic Republic�s borders, and its servicemen would sacrifice life and limb to ensure border security.
The Islamic Republic has, meanwhile, prepared a peace initiative to propose to Armenia and Azerbaijan as well as important regional players Russia and Turkey towards resolution of the decades-long territorial dispute.
It has, meanwhile, urged the fighting sides to spare civilian lives, while calling on Yerevan to respect Azerbaijan�s territorial sovereignty in light of the fact that Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as an Azeri territory.