Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian wants Russia “to be sensitive about any potential changes in borders across the region."

Amirabdollahian made the remarks on Tuesday, October 5 in Moscow, ahead of his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The Iranian foreign policy chief said Iran “certainly will not tolerate geopolitical change and map change in the Caucasus”, Al Jazeera reports.

Amirabdollahian said Iran expects Russia “to be sensitive about any potential changes in borders across the region, and be sensitive about the presence of terrorists and the movements of the Zionist regime that threatens regional peace and stability”.

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.