On Wednesday, the Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, General Mohammad Bagheri, visited the Poldasht border checkpoint in the province of West Azerbaijan - on the border with Nakhijevan.
General Bagheri, along with the commander of the army of the Islamic Republic of Iran and a group of deputies and commanders met with the governors of Poldasht, IRNA reports.
According to the Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, "today the deterrent power of the country's armed forces is as high as ever, and all units of the armed forces are in full combat readiness." He called the main purpose of this visit the consideration of "passive protection" on the border of Iran with the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The appearance of the leadership of the Iranian army at the borders of Azerbaijan and the emphasis on its "high combat readiness" is dissonant with the attempts of Iranian diplomacy to restore former relations with Baku, damaged after the attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran, as well as the attempts of the Iranian government to resume energy and transport projects.
Bagheri's visit to the border took place a few days after the visit of the Israeli Defense Minister to Azerbaijan.
