Some Iranian media reports say Iranian Defense Minister, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiani, is paying a visit to Tajikistan on Tuesday.

Tasnim News Agency reported on October 16 that heading a high-ranking delegation, General Ashtiani will depart for Tajikistan tomorrow.

Meeting with Defense Minister and President of Tajikistan, holding conversation on security and defense issues, and following up the bilateral defense agreements between Iran and Tajikistan are reportedly among General Ashtiani’s agenda during this visit.

Mehr News Agency (MNA) reported yesterday that in order to strengthen and develop joint defense and military cooperation between Iran and Tajikistan, the Ababil 2 UAV production plant was inaugurated in Tajikistan’s capital, Dushanbe, in 2022.

Mohammad-Reza Gharaei Ashtiani is a member of the Iranian military with the rank of Brigadier General who has served as the minister of defense since 2021.  Ashtiani was sworn in on August 25, 2021, replacing Brigadier General Amir Hatami who had held role since 2017.

Recall, Iran’s Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Major-General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, heading a high-profile delegation visited Dushanbe in May last year to discuss issues of expanding military cooperation with Tajikistan.  During the visit, General Baqeri inaugurated an Iranian factory manufacturing Ababil-2 military drones in Dushanbe May 17, 2022.

A week later, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon paid an official visit to Iran and signed 17 cooperation agreements.  The documents entail political, economic and trade cooperation between Tehran and Dushanbe, relations in the transportation sector, joint investment, new technologies, environmental issues, the energy sector, sports interaction, judicial cooperation, research and training, as well as the tourism industry.

In June 2022, , Deputy Iranian Interior Minister for Security and Police Affairs Sayed Majid Mirahmadi, visited Dushanbe to attend the first meeting of the joint security task force between Iran and Tajikistan.