Turkey and Azerbaijan are holding joint military exercises along Azerbaijan’s border with Iran, this according to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense.

The Azerbaijani Trend news agency describes the exercises “as a clear message to the Iranian regime that uses the rhetoric of threats against Azerbaijan, demonstrating yet again the might and professionalism of the two fraternal countries’ armies.”

In October, Iran launched large-scale military drills on its border with Azerbaijan against a backdrop of heightened tensions between Iran and Azerbaijan stemming from Baku’s push for a so-called “Zangezur Corridor” linking Azerbaijan’s exclave of Nakhijevan with the Azerbaijani mainland.

The political nature of this route, who will have what control over transit along it, remains a bone of contention between Yerevan and Baku. The route 

In September, Iranian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Seyyed Abbas Mousavi visited the town of Shushi, captured by the Azerbaijani military in 2020, and said while Tehran isn’t opposed to the corridor, it’s a matter for Armenia and Azerbaijan to decide and that Tehran’s position is that one country cannot influence the national interests of another country, including neighbors.”

Tehran has said it would oppose any attempt to block the border between Iran and Armenia.

The proposed route would run along the Arax River that serves as the international border between Armenia and Iran. The river also forms a large part of the Iran-Azerbaijan border.

The Iranian military in October, and the joint Turkish-Azerbaijani drills today, have trained on crossing the river using pontoon bridges.