Iran tests drones amid simmering tensions with Azerbaijan

The exercise was held at a time of intensifying hostile rhetoric between Tehran and Baku, as Russia continues its cautious position in between.
An Azerbaijani national flag flies next to the medieval Khudaferin bridge in Jebrayil district at the country's border with Iran, on Dec. 9, 2020.
An Azerbaijani national flag flies next to the medieval Khudaferin bridge in Jebrayil district at the country's border with Iran, on Dec. 9, 2020. - STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images
Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East
Al-Monitor Staff

The air force of the Iranian army launched a major drill on Oct. 21 involving several bases nationwide, the latest in a series of muscle-flexing gestures by the Islamic Republic in recent weeks.

According to the Iranian army’s air force commander, Brig. Gen. Hamid Vahedi, the exercise was testing combat preparedness for bombardments and using domestically developed weapons, laser missiles and smart bombs.

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