Iran will firmly oppose the creation of a transit corridor under a US-brokered peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, warning that the project, which passes close to its border, would threaten regional stability and would not be allowed to proceed.The route, officially named the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, is a central feature of the deal signed at the White House on Friday by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, with US President Donald Trump presiding over the ceremony. The United States will hold development rights to the corridor, which is intended to connect Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave, bypassing Armenian-controlled territory.Ali Akbar Velayati, senior adviser on international affairs to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was quoted as saying by Tasnim News Agency on Saturday that Tehran “will not accept” the plan, calling it “an impossible notion” that “will not happen”. As per news agency AFP, he warned the corridor could turn into “a graveyard for Trump’s mercenaries” and said, “With the implementation of this plot, the security of the South Caucasus will be endangered.”Iran has long objected to the proposed route, also referred to as the Zangezur corridor, fearing it would cut the country off from Armenia and the wider Caucasus, while allowing a foreign military and commercial presence along its border. Velayati stressed, “We have the right to defend our interests in a completely powerful manner,” adding that Iran has held multiple military drills in the area to demonstrate its readiness.While Iran’s foreign ministry welcomed “the finalisation of the text of the peace agreement” between Armenia and Azerbaijan, it cautioned against “any foreign intervention… especially in the vicinity of common borders,” warning such moves could “disrupt the security and lasting stability of the region.”Friday’s signing at the White House marked a historic moment for Armenia and Azerbaijan, whose decades-long feud over Nagorno-Karabakh has seen two major wars and tens of thousands of deaths. Trump hailed the agreement as a breakthrough, declaring, “Thirty-five years they fought, and now they’re friends and they’re going to be friends a long time.” Both leaders credited Trump’s mediation, with Aliyev calling it “a miracle” and Pashinyan describing it as “a significant milestone”.The corridor would link Azerbaijan directly to Turkey via Nakhchivan, bolstering Baku’s access to European markets for its oil and gas exports. US officials said the deal also represents a strategic setback for Russia, whose influence in the South Caucasus has declined sharply since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.Washington has described the corridor as part of a broader “regional reset”, with plans for rail lines, energy pipelines, and fibre optic infrastructure. At least nine developers have reportedly expressed interest in the project, according to US administration sources, as per news agency AP.
