Iran Warns Armenia Over US-Backed Land Corridor in Baku-Yerevan Peace Deal

Iran stepped up warnings to Armenia on Monday over a planned US-backed corridor linking Azerbaijan to an exclave near the Iranian border, as part of a recent peace deal between Yerevan and Baku signed in Washington.

In a phone call with Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian “warned against potential actions by the American side that, under the guise of economic investment and claims of ensuring peace, might pursue hegemonic ambitions in the Caucasus,” according to IRNA news agency.

“We must ensure that this route truly becomes a path of peace and development, not a tool for the domineering ambitions of foreign powers,” Pezeshkian said.

Under the peace deal, the United States will have the development rights of the proposed route, dubbed the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity”, which would connect Azerbaijan to its Nakhichevan exclave, passing near the Iranian border.

Pezeshkian said Iran “welcomes any agreement that promotes the strengthening of peace” among its neighbours, but emphasized the need to prevent the “interference of any military or security force” in implementing the corridor project, according to the statement from his office.

For his part, Pashinyan said that Armenia “will not sign any agreement unless we are fully assured that the interests, considerations, and sensitivities of our friendly neighbour, Iran, are respected.”

Armenia’s deputy foreign minister is due in Tehran on Tuesday for talks on the issue, Tehran announced.

Earlier, the Iranian Foreign Ministry welcomed the peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia, saying that peace and stability in the Caucasus benefits all countries in this region. Meanwhile, it expressed concern over the adverse effects of foreign intervention at the joint borders.

Tehran also reaffirmed its readiness to work with both Yerevan and Baku through inclusive formats such as the 3+3 Regional Cooperation Platform, which brings together Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Russia, and Turkey.

Previously, Ali Akbar Velayati, senior advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, said Iran would block the establishment of a U.S.-controlled corridor in Armenia “with or without Russia”.

“The security in Southern Caucasus is at stake with the implementation of this plot … and Iran has emphasized that with or without Russia it would move to (preserve) stability in Southern Caucasus,” Velayati told the Tasnim news agency.