Iran Opposes US-Brokered Azerbaijan-Armenia Corridor, Calls It a Geopolitical Conspiracy

Iran has strongly opposed a proposed transit corridor in the Caucasus region included in a recent US-brokered peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The agreement, hailed by some regional actors as a path to lasting peace, includes the construction of the so-called Zangezur Corridor—a 20-mile trade route linking Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave through Armenia.

Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, publicly declared that Tehran would block the corridor "with or without Russia," warning that the route threatens Iran’s geopolitical, strategic, and economic interests. According to Velayati, the corridor could sever Iran’s crucial link to Armenia, a longtime ally, weakening Iran’s regional influence. Over recent years, Iranian territory has served as an important transit point for trade between Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan, a role the new corridor would bypass, thereby reducing Iran’s economic leverage.

Velayati also described the corridor as a "political betrayal" aimed at undermining Armenia’s territorial integrity and accused the US of using the project as a tool to encircle Iran militarily. Iran fears increased US and NATO presence near its northern borders, which it views as a direct threat to its national security. While Armenia maintains a strategic alliance with Iran, the ceasefire agreement facilitated by the Trump administration has introduced tensions that could strain this relationship.

The corridor’s exclusive development rights granted to the US in the deal, along with support from Turkey, further fuel Iran’s concerns about encirclement and loss of influence in the South Caucasus. Iran’s firm stance underscores the complex geopolitics of the region, where infrastructure projects can have significant strategic ramifications beyond their economic objectives.