Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani and his Bolivian counterpart Edmundo Novillo Aguilar signed a defense and security Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Friday.

The Iranian Defense Minister said that Latin American countries are of special significance in Iran’s foreign and defense policy based on the importance of very sensitive South American region, Fars News Agency (FNA) reported.

Ashtiani also said that regarding Bolivia’s needs in the field of border defense and combating drug trafficking, the Iranian side tried to have interactions with the Latin American country to provide them with equipment, and that this sort of cooperation can be a role model for other nations in South America.

The Bolivian Defense Minister, for his part, thanked his Iranian counterpart, noting that Bolivia calls for Iran’s support concerning border security and combat against drug trafficking, as well as mutual cooperation with Iranians in the academic field.

Novillo Aguilar expressed hope that his trip to Iran will pave the way for wide range cooperation.

The Bolivian Defense Minister arrived in Tehran on July 16 to meet and hold talks with his Iranian counterpart.

In another development, the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) on Sunday began large-scale military drills codenamed ‘Devotees of the Velayat Sanctuary’, deploying both manned and unmanned aircraft to simulate real battlefield scenarios and enhance the country’s defensive power.

The Iranian Air Force kicked off a nationwide military exercise in Central province of Esfahan on Sunday. The maneuver was launched following an order from Commander of the Iranian Army’s Air Force Brigadier General Hamid Vahedi with the aim of bolstering the country’s defense readiness and sending the message of “friendship, peace and calm” to the region.

Earlier, Brigadier General Vahedi said that his forces will employ 92 aircraft in the military drill, including various fighter jets, interceptor aircraft, bombers, and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

The military official added that the Iranian Air Force units are going to carry out a broad range of operations in the war game, such as reconnaissance and aerial imaging, detonation of air and ground targets, electronic warfare, civil defense tactics, and testing of new modern systems, he stated.

He noted that the country’s air force units will also exercise diverse combat tactics and standoff attack operations with drones to destroy targets with pinpoint accuracy.