In an interview with Tasnim on Tuesday, the defense minister said Karrar is ready to be delivered to the Iranian armed forces.

Karrar, a class of Iranian tanks with modern technologies, was unveiled in March.

Iran’s former defense minister, Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan, had described Karrar as one of the most advanced tanks in the world that can fully satisfy the needs of the country’s armed forces.

The tank is equipped with an electro-optical fire control system, laser rangefinders, and a ballistic computer.

Iranian military experts and technicians have in recent years made great headways in manufacturing a broad range of indigenous equipment, making the armed forces self-sufficient in the arms sphere.

Citing a military source, Anadolu news agency said the deployment was part of reinforcements for troops stationed along the border.

The vehicles were sent to the Iskenderun district of the southeastern province of Hatay, according to the report.

Late Saturday, Anadolu also reported that the army had dispatched first aid trucks and military vehicles to the same location, along with heavy equipment.

A third convoy of armored vehicles was heading to Hatay’s Reyhanli district, where Turkey’s Cilvegozu border gate with Syria is located.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said Friday that Russia, Iran and Turkey had agreed to deploy observers around a “de-escalation zone” in northern Syria’s Idlib region, which is mostly controlled by militants linked to a former Al-Qaeda affiliate.

It said the observers would look to prevent clashes between forces of the Syrian army and the opposition, and watch for cease-fire violations.

Last month, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Turkey was taking necessary measures along its 150-kilometer border with Idlib.