TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has expressed Tehran’s discontent over war games between the United States and Armenia, saying it will complicate the tensions in the south Caucasus region.

Iran’s foreign minister made the remarks in a telephone conversation with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan on Wednesday.

Armenia and the U.S. launched military exercises on September 11 that will last until September 20.  The drills, codenamed "Eagle Partner", involve 85 U.S. and 175 Armenian troops.
The exercises come at a time of heightened tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Tensions over the region took a turn for the worse earlier this week as the two sides traded barbs and accused each other of deploying troops close to joint border.

The Iranian foreign minister said such disputes should be tackled from their roots in order to materialize durable peace in the South Caucasus, Press TV reported.

The most effective means to achieve comprehensive peace in the Caucasus region lies in prioritizing negotiation within the 3+3 format that includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia plus Russia, Turkey, and Iran, Tehran’s chief diplomat pointed out.

Russia has also reacted negatively to the exercises and summoned the Armenian ambassador to Moscow. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he does not expect "anything good" to come out of the drills.

Russia has also said the exercises were cause for concern and urged Armenia to respect its obligations under the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a military alliance led by Moscow.

Culled from Tehran Times