Tehran – Senior Iranian statesman Ali Akbar Velayati strongly rejected the U.S.-backed Zangezur Corridor project, declaring that Iran will block it “under any circumstances,” with or without Russian support.
Velayati described the proposed route not merely as a trade link but as a “political conspiracy” aimed at redrawing the regional map, dismembering Armenia, and entrenching NATO’s presence along Iran’s northern borders.
According to him, both the Armenian public and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan oppose the project, fearing it could lead to Armenia’s territorial fragmentation. As an alternative, Velayati suggested that Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan exclave could be connected via Iranian territory, eliminating the need for any new corridor.
Turning to regional resistance movements, Velayati dismissed U.S. efforts to disarm Lebanon’s Hezbollah as a “failed plot,” warning that Lebanon’s security would collapse if Hezbollah were to lay down its arms. He voiced the same position regarding Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (al-Hashd al-Shaabi), cautioning that dismantling them would leave Iraq under U.S. control.
Velayati further noted that Yemeni resistance forces have established control over the Bab al-Mandab Strait, thwarting U.S. and Israeli plans in the Red Sea, while predicting that resistance movements in Syria will grow stronger in the future.
Background on the Zangezur Corridor
The Zangezur Corridor is a controversial South Caucasus project intended to connect Azerbaijan directly to its Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic by passing through Armenia’s Syunik Province—historically known as Zangezur. Such a link would also grant Azerbaijan uninterrupted overland access to Turkey, as Nakhchivan shares a border with Ankara.
Azerbaijan and Turkey claim the corridor would boost regional trade, transportation, and connectivity with Central Asia. However, Armenia argues that it threatens its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Iran opposes the project on grounds that it would sever its direct border with Armenia and introduce a geopolitical shift unfavorable to its national security—potentially enabling NATO, especially Turkey and Western powers, to expand their influence along Iran’s northern frontier.
Russia, too, has taken a cautious stance, wary that the corridor could bolster Turkish and Western influence in the region. The proposal was included in the Russia-brokered peace deal that ended the 2020 Armenia–Azerbaijan war, yet it remains a flashpoint of geopolitical tension to this day.
Leave a comment