Iranian and Armenian delegations meet in Yerevan on Nov. 9

The unblocking of regional transit routes was on the agenda of a meeting between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Iran’s Vice-President Seyed Hamid Pourmohammadi on Monday in Yerevan.

Pourmohammadi is in Yerevan to attend the Armenia-Iran Intergovernmental Commission.

According to a press statement from Pashinyan’s office, the two discussed the development of Armenia-Iran border infrastructure, joint road construction projects, as well as cooperation in energy, agriculture, and other sectors.

“Views were exchanged also on the processes of unblocking regional communication channels and the opportunities being created as a result,” the statement added.

Pashinyan reportedly welcomed the activities of the Armenia-Iran Intergovernmental Commission, saying that the two countries are “successfully implementing joint programs in various directions and noted that they contribute to the development and expansion of bilateral ties.”

In turn, Pourmohammadi conveyed to the Armenian prime minister the warm greetings from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and emphasized the importance of expanding cooperation with Armenia.

The Iranian official also met with Armenia’s Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan, who, along with his Azerbaijani and sometimes Russian counterparts, is heading the effort to not only demarcate and delimit the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, but also open regional transit routes.

Grigoryan and Pourmohammadi “emphasized the great potential for further development of trade and economic relations between Armenia and Iran and noted with satisfaction the growth of their trade in recent years,” according to a press statement from the Armenian government.

The two also reportedly discussed matters of regional connectivity and noted that strengthening stability, developing economic ties, and unblocking communications will create new opportunities for the countries of the region.

Pourmohammadi’s visit comes mere days after the top adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtabah Khamenei offered a searing rebuke of Pashinyan for moving forward with the so-called Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity—TRIPP.

In an article published in the Iranian newspaper Ettela’at last week, Ali Akbar Velayati, the top adviser, accused Pashinyan of increasing Armenia’s dependence on the West and said the project could open “a new chapter of hostility and tensions in the South Caucasus.” He also likened TRIPP to an extraterritorial corridor sought by Azerbaijan and opposed by Tehran.

Velayati also said that the TRIPP is tantamount to an extraterritorial “Zangezur corridor” demanded by Baku and opposed by Tehran. He said he repeatedly made clear to senior Armenian diplomats that the project’s implementation remains a “red line” for the Islamic Republic drawn by the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Velayati’s warnings were in contrast with assurances given last month by Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who said that the Iranians “trust our Armenian brothers” on the TRIPP and believe “they are doing nothing that would compromise Iran’s security.”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, on Monday reiterated Aragchi’s sentiments, saying Yerevan has assured Tehran that the implementation of the TRIPP project will not lead to a change in the borders or geopolitical picture of the region.

He said that the Iranian side immediately informed Armenia of its concerns regarding the possible consequences of the implementation of TRIPP.

Baghaei stressed that Tehran supports the unblocking of regional transport routes, but continues to insist that such projects should not lead to a change in the internationally recognized borders and the geopolitical picture of the region.

“Iran is closely following the development of events, as the presence and interference of the US in regional affairs are always accompanied by instability and security threats,” Baghaei noted.