October 6, 2021 - 16:14 AMT
Iran expects Russia's reaction to "presence of terrorists in the region"

Iran expects Russia to respond to the presence of terrorists in the region, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said on Tuesday, October 5, Al Jazeera reports.

Amirabdollahian, who is in Moscow for talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, said that Iran “certainly will not tolerate geopolitical change and map change in the Caucasus”.

“We have serious concerns about the presence of terrorists and Zionists in this region,” Amirabdollahian told reporters in Moscow.

Tension has been high between Iran and Azerbaijan, which share a 700km (430 mile) border, since mid-September. Iran’s army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have recently mobilised forces and held military drills close to its northwestern borders with Azerbaijan amid lingering tensions following Azerbaijan’s 44-day war with Armenia last year. Azerbaijan and Turkey, in response, launched a joint military drill starting on Wednesday.