Iran’s defense diplomacy in the South Caucasus unfolded on two fronts this week — launching a joint military exercise with Azerbaijan in occupied Artsakh while simultaneously sending its defense minister to Yerevan for high-level talks with Armenia’s leadership. The overlapping developments come at a tense moment in the region, as Iran deepens military cooperation with both Armenia and Azerbaijan in sharply divergent contexts. The four-day drill with Azerbaijani forces began May 18 in territories of Artsakh now under Azerbaijani occupation, while on May 20, Iran’s Defense Minister arrived in Yerevan to reinforce strategic ties with Armenia through a series of high-level meetings and symbolic gestures.
On May 18, Iran and Azerbaijan launched a joint military exercise — codenamed “Aras 2025” — in what both governments refer to as “recently liberated areas of Karabakh,” meaning territories in Artsakh that Azerbaijan seized following the 2020 war and the 2023 ethnic cleansing of its indigenous Armenian population. Iranian media, including Tehran Times and Mehr News, confirm the drills are taking place in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), though Azerbaijani authorities have not disclosed the exact location.
Running through May 21, the drills involve special forces from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Ground Forces and the Azerbaijani Army. According to official statements, the joint exercise is aimed at bolstering border security, enhancing readiness against potential threats, and advancing what both sides describe as steadily growing defense cooperation. Iranian military officials also reaffirmed their commitment to future joint drills focused on regional threat response.
The operation follows a similar Iran-Azerbaijan exercise in November 2024 and unfolds amid broader diplomatic maneuvering in the South Caucasus, including a March agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the text of a peace deal — one that includes Yerevan’s recognition of Azerbaijani sovereignty over Armenian territories now under occupation.
Artsakh — historically Armenian and self-governed for decades — was the site of two major wars in the 1990s and 2020. Its entire native Armenian population was forcibly displaced following Azerbaijan’s September 2023 military assault, a campaign widely described by Armenian officials and international observers as ethnic cleansing.
The Aras 2025 drill also comes amid what many in Armenia view as a persistent threat of renewed Azerbaijani aggression, particularly against Syunik — the only Armenian province bordering Iran. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly threatened to seize a so-called “Zangezur corridor” by force, with support from Turkey. In response, Iran has publicly warned both Baku and Ankara that any attempt to eliminate its shared border with Armenia or block direct Iran-Armenia transit routes would cross a red line.
Last month, the Armenian Armed Forces and Iran’s IRGC held their own joint military exercise along the Armenian-Iranian border. The drill simulated a coordinated response to hypothetical attacks on border crossings by “terrorist groups.” A senior IRGC commander emphasized the “strategic importance” of the border with Armenia for Tehran. This exercise followed Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikyan’s March 2024 visit to Tehran, where he and then-Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani reached “a number of understandings on issues of mutual interest,” according to Papikyan’s press office.
On May 20, Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh, Iran’s current Defense Minister, met with Papikyan in Yerevan during an official visit at Armenia’s invitation. The visit came just one month after the Armenia-Iran joint drill and amid heightened concern in Yerevan over regional security dynamics.
Nasirzadeh arrived earlier that day, leading a defense delegation. The welcoming ceremony took place at the administrative complex of the Armenian Defense Ministry, featuring a guard of honor, a military band, and the national anthems of both countries. Papikyan and Nasirzadeh held a tête-à-tête meeting, followed by extended talks between their delegations, according to Armenia’s Defense Ministry.
The ministers praised the level of defense cooperation between the two countries. They discussed bilateral ties, ongoing military collaboration, and regional and international security. “Iran and Armenia have a strong will to improve relations,” Mehr News Agency quoted Nasirzadeh as saying upon his arrival in Yerevan. As part of his visit, he planted a personalized spruce tree on the grounds of the Armenian Defense Ministry.
Iran’s defense diplomacy with both Armenia and Azerbaijan — two countries with a legacy of war and unresolved conflict over occupied Armenian lands — underscores Tehran’s complex balancing act in a region where any shift in alliances carries strategic weight.
