RFE/RL – Iran Signals Lingering Concerns On ‘Trump Route’ Through Armenia

Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that Araghchi “stressed the importance of addressing the consequences and concerns arising from the presence and intervention of third parties” in regional affairs.

“Lasting peace and stability in the [South Caucasus] region depend on the countries of the region resolving their issues themselves and preventing the interference of extra-regional forces,” he was quoted as saying.

Iranian officials have repeatedly voiced such concerns with regard to the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) that would run along Armenia’s border with Iran and connect Azerbaijan to its Nakhichevan exclave as well as Turkey. Tehran fears that the transit arrangement could put Armenian control of the border at risk and lead to U.S. security presence at Iran’s doorstep.

The Iranian ambassador to Armenia, Khalil Shirgholami, indicated in July that Yerevan has still not addressed his country’s “very legitimate and logical” concerns. He called for the creation of a “mechanism” to manage “potential risks of U.S. presence and threats to Iran” emanating from the TRIPP.

According to the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Mirzoyan briefed Araghchi on “the work being carried out to implement the TRIPP project and the new opportunities it offers to countries in the region.” The ministry’s readout of the talks made no mention of Tehran’s lingering concerns.

It said instead that both ministers stressed “the strategic character” of relations between their nations and discussed plans to expand bilateral commerce, including through the construction of a second bridge over the Arax river marking the Armenian-Iranian border.

According to Tasnim, Araghchi also spoke about Iran’s conflict with the United States, blaming Washington for continuing disruptions in commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Mirzoyan was cited by his office as reiterating that Armenia hopes for a negotiation solution to the crisis.