TEHRAN – Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said that Iran views security at its borders as a red line.

“Providing sustainable security at borders is our red line and in this regard, examining border problems is an essential priority,” Araghchi said in a visit to Iran’s northwestern borders on Tuesday.

The Islamic Republic attaches great importance to the security of its border areas, dams, and border buildings, the deputy foreign minister insisted.

“Security is Iran’s red line and it should not be harmed during the conflict between the two northern neighbors,” he added.

Since September 27, Armenian separatists in Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh have been engaged in intense clashes against Azeri forces.

The clashes have so far killed over 1,000 people, most of whom Azeri. The flare-up has been the worst violence to break out between the two sides since 1992, when the separatists invaded the region, forcing the Azeri side into a retreat.

Two rounds of truce talks have so far failed to calm the situation that took a turn for the worse earlier on Sunday.

A number of stray shells and projectiles have crossed the Iranian border, prompting stern warnings from Tehran.

Last week, Iran’s Foreign Ministry warned the warring sides that Tehran will not remain indifferent if the shells fired in the fighting continue to hit Iranian territories.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) recently deployed forces to northwestern areas of the country in order to protect common borders amid the ongoing military conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Sepahnews reported on Sunday that IRGC tanks and military equipment were stationed in cities of Jolfa and Khoda Afarin in the northwestern province of Azarbaijan, which have joint borders both with the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia.

MH/PA