Iran Rejects US-Backed Armenia-Azerbaijan Corridor Plans

Iran has strongly opposed the US-brokered agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan that includes establishing a transit corridor, known as the Zengezur Corridor, connecting Azerbaijan to its exclave Nakhchivan through Armenia. Iranian officials, including MP Alaaeddin Boroujerdi and advisor Akbar Velayati, warned that such a corridor would threaten regional security and alter geopolitical borders, which Iran categorically rejects, emphasizing its red line is border security. President Donald Trump supports the corridor and holds development rights for it, but Iran dismisses this, asserting the corridor would become a 'graveyard for Trump's mercenaries' and calling the idea impossible. Russia, while cautiously welcoming the peace deal, aligns with Iran's concerns, noting that Armenian borders with Iran are guarded by Russian forces and pointing out existing trilateral agreements between Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The discord underscores tensions over the corridor's implications for regional stability, sovereignty, and security, with Iran and Russia opposing US influence in this strategic area despite the peace agreement's intent to end decades-long conflict. Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan's visit to Iran was also framed by Iranian critics as suspicious and opposed to the corridor's construction.