TEHRAN — Commander of Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base Brigadier General Qader Rahimzadeh has warned Azerbaijan and Armenia against any violation of the Iranian airspace, saying Iran’s sky is no place for trial and error.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran’s sky is no place for trial and error and mistake and we will strongly confront anyone violating the country’s airspace,” General Rahimzadeh said on Monday, according to Fars.

He said the Iranian armed forces are ready to defend the country’s borders and sky, adding that any mistake by the warring sides will not be tolerated.

In similar remarks last week, IRGC Commander Major General Hossein Salami said Iran will react decisively to any threat in its border areas.

“Our red line is sustainable security and any insecurity and threat in borders that harms our dear people's security and peace of mind is not acceptable,” Salami said on Thursday as he visited border areas of Iran's northeastern region.

He said Iran is determined to strengthen its defense and security measures to preserve security at the border areas which are close to the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict zone.

Since late September, heavy clashes have been underway between Azerbaijani and Armenian military forces over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Both sides blame each other for initiating the fighting in the Caucasus Mountains.

It has been the worst spate of fighting between the two former Soviet republics since the 1990s.

Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has voiced regret over the "bitter incident" between the two northern neighbors, suggesting that the main solution to the problem is a return of all occupied lands of Azerbaijan by Armenia and “this must be done and international borders must be respected.”

However, the security of ethnic Armenians in the occupied region of Nagorno-Karabakh must be protected, Ayatollah Khamenei said in remarks last week.

MH/PA