Iran vows to block Trump-brokered Caucasus corridor ‘with or without Russia’
Iran will prevent the creation of the Zangezur Corridor with or without Russia’s help, a senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei stated on 10 August, one day after the US and Armenia signed a deal giving Washington control of the strategic land route.
While speaking with Tasnim News Agency, Ali Akbar Velayati said Iran is opposed to the so-called Zangezur corridor that is designed to create a transit route on Armenian soil connecting the Republic of Azerbaijan to its enclave, Nakhchivan.
The deal signed Friday at the White House between US President Donald Trump and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will give the US a 99-year development lease on the corridor located along Armenia’s border with Iran. This will allow the US to station forces directly on Iran’s border.
“Velayati said such a corridor will turn into a graveyard of the mercenaries of Donald Trump, not a route owned by the US president,” Tasnim wrote.
He warned that the establishment of the corridor would alter the region’s geopolitics, redraw borders, jeopardize the security of the South Caucasus, and even lead to Armenia’s disintegration.
“As a result, Iran has insisted that it will move in line with the security of the South Caucasus, with or without Russia. We believe that Russia is also strategically opposed to that corridor,” Velayati said.
Russia has seen its influence in the South Caucasus diminish since 2023, when Azerbaijan launched a campaign to ethnically cleanse 100,000 Armenians from the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Russian peacekeepers failed to prevent the forced displacement of the region’s historic Christian community as it came under attack by Azerbaijani forces. Since then, Prime Minister Pashinyan has established closer ties with the US and EU.
Russia also declined to provide military assistance to Iran during its 12-day war with Israel and the US in June.
Velayati added that the Zangezur corridor is not just a trade route, but an effort by NATO to isolate Iran and dominate the region.
“Apart from Turkiye, which is a member of NATO, the other NATO countries want to be present in this region too. NATO wants to lie between Iran and Russia like a viper, but Iran will not permit it.”
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Velayati emphasized that the Zangezur Corridor is not necessary as a trade route, as Azerbaijan can transport goods and people to Nakhchivan via Iranian soil.
“The equations and arrangements of this region are not confined to the two countries of Azerbaijan and Armenia. A geopolitical change in the region will relocate the borders of Iran, too.
Therefore, we have the right to defend our interests quite strongly,” he emphasized.
The senior adviser to Khamenei also commented on US efforts to disarm Iran’s ally in Lebanon, Hezbollah.
“This is not the first time that such discussions are raised in Lebanon. Such anti-Lebanese plots were futile in the past, and they will not get anywhere this time either. Resistance will stand against these plots,” he explained.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran is certainly opposed to the disarmament of Hezbollah, because Iran has always assisted the Lebanese nation and resistance and will continue such assistance at present,” he added.
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