Iran and Armenia held a two-day joint military exercise on April 9-10, 2025 on their 44-kilometer common border.

The exercise included scenarios of responding to simulated terrorist attacks on border checkpoints with the participation of special forces of both countries.

Brigadier General Veliollah Mani, Deputy Commander of the Ground Forces of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), said the aim of the exercise was to enhance border security and strengthen cooperation in line with the common interests of the two countries.

This exercise comes at a time when Armenia is strengthening its relations with the West and tensions with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region continue.

Armenia's long-closed borders with Azerbaijan and Turkey give its border with Iran great economic and strategic importance.

The Iranian border region is at the center of tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan, with which it has been in conflict for almost four decades over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Azerbaijan is demanding that Armenia open a corridor through this border region linking Baku to Nakhchivan and its ally Turkey.

Armenia and Azerbaijan announced last March that they had agreed on the text of a peace agreement to end the conflict between them, but have since accused each other of being responsible for several armed incidents along their heavily militarized border. 

While Armenia has strengthened its ties with the West in recent years, its relations with its traditional ally Russia have deteriorated. Armenians have been particularly critical of Moscow for failing to protect them against Azerbaijan.