Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has thanked Armenia for what he described as humanitarian support provided to Iran during its ongoing war with the United States and Israel.
“The support of the Armenian government and people to the Iranian people in the evacuation of Iranians and humanitarian aid is highly commendable,” he said in a weekend post on X. “The centuries-old ties between Iran and Armenia have once again shown their strength in a difficult time, and these brotherly steps will remain in the memory of the Iranian people.”
Araghchi’s Armenian-language tweet followed his phone call with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan. According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, the two men discussed “consequences of the continued US and the Israeli military aggression against Iran.” In a statement, the ministry said Mirzoyan offered Yerevan’s condolences over the deaths of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, other officials as well as civilians killed in U.S.-Israeli air strikes.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry released a much shorter readout of the call. It said Mirzoyan discussed with Araghchi “possibilities for resolving the situation” around Iran and “humanitarian issues.” It did not elaborate.
The Armenian government has reacted cautiously to the war, declining to criticize the U.S.-Israeli military campaign. Mirzoyan said last week that it has delivered medicines and other humanitarian assistance to the Islamic Republic. He did not reveal the volume of the aid.
The government had not officially reported the shipment. Its critics claimed that it was afraid of displeasing the U.S.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s administration has sought to reorient Armenia towards the West in recent years. It agreed last year to open a U.S.-administered transit corridor for Azerbaijan what would run along Armenia’s strategic border with Iran.
In the months leading up to the ongoing war, Iranian officials spoke out against the transit arrangement. They feared that it could undermine Armenian control of the border and lead to U.S. security presence there. Yerevan sought to allay their concerns. Some observers believe that Tehran will now be even more opposed to the planed Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity.
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American University Of Armenia Responds To Iran’s Threats
In what it called a “precautionary measure,” the American University of Armenia (AUA) switched to online classes on Monday following neighboring Iran’s threats to target U.S.-affiliated campuses in the region.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) made the threats after U.S.-Israeli airstrikes reportedly destroyed two Iranian universities on the night from Friday to Saturday.
“If the U.S. government wants its universities in the region to be free from retaliation … it must condemn the bombing of the universities in an official statement by 12 noon on Monday, March 30, Tehran time,” the IRGC said, according to Iranian news agencies.
It warned “all employees, professors, and students of American universities in the region and residents of their surrounding areas” to stay a kilometer away from campuses. The warning seemed primarily addressed to several U.S. universities that have branches in Gulf Arab states.
“Due to the threat made by Iran to target American universities in West Asia and the Middle East, all AUA classes on Monday, March 30, will be held fully online,” read a statement released by the Yerevan-based university.
“In taking this step, we emphasize that we have received no direct threats against our university, and no indication that we are in any kind of danger, so there is no cause for alarm,” it said. “This is simply a precautionary measure, taken out of an abundance of caution, because the safety of our community is of paramount importance.”
The AUA did not explicitly say when it will resume in-person teaching. It was also not clear whether the university administration consulted with the Armenian government before announcing its decision. The government did not immediately react to it.
The AUA, which is affiliated with University of California, was founded in 1991 with the help of Armenian philanthropists in the United States as well as Armenia’s first post-Communist government. It has since expanded significantly and become of the country’s most reputable universities.
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RFE/RL – Pashinian’s Visit To Yerevan Church Followed By Arrests
- Naira Bulghadarian
Two teenage brothers and another man were arrested on Sunday after confronting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian at a church in Yerevan.
Surrounded by his bodyguards and aides, Pashinian unexpectedly arrived at the packed St. Anne’s Church during a Palm Sunday Mass held there. He began making his way out of it shortly afterwards, with the bodyguards clearing the way for his passage. They upset a young worshipper who told them not to push him and said he wants to keep “standing in the middle” of the church.
“Don’t look at me like that,” the man, subsequently identified as Davit Minasian, then told Pashinian before attempting to slap him on the shoulder.
Videos of the incident showed a Pashinian bodyguard knocking down one of the brothers moments later. Meanwhile, the premier signaled to his entourage to not react to the man and to carry on. They left the church amid angry cries from other believers.
Minasian was arrested right after the liturgy along with his twin brother Mikael and another citizen. Footage posted online showed several police officers dragging the 18-year-old high school student from the church courtyard in downtown Yerevan.
All three men remained in police custody but were not formally charged with any crime as of Monday evening. Another law-enforcement agency, the Investigative Committee, said it launched a criminal investigation into hooliganism committed against a state official performing their duties or engaging in political activities.
Vartuhi Elbakian, a lawyer representing the brothers, insisted that they did not commit any crimes when she spoke to reporters outside the Interior Ministry building in Yerevan picketed by their classmates and the latter’s parents demanding their release.
“The boys to go to Mass every Sunday,” she said. “They are very pious.”
Elbakian also insisted that the Minasians “have no connection” to the third detainee, opposition activist Gevorg Gevorgian. The latter stood next to them during the incident.
Pashinian’s loyalists blamed it on Catholicos Garegin II, the supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic Church whom Pashinian has been controversially trying to depose. The chief of the prime minister’s staff, Arayik Harutiunian, accused Garegin of turning the church into a political “sect.” Opposition figures countered that the incident was the result of what they see as Pashinian’s provocative behavior.
Pashinian has spent the last few weekends touring various parts of Armenia and talking to people in the streets on what look like campaign trips connected with the June 7 parliamentary elections. Some of those citizens caused him to lose his temper by openly denouncing his policies or complaining about his government’s track record.
In the most scandalous of those incidents caught on camera, Pashinian raged at a female refugee from Nagorno-Karabakh who blamed him for Azerbaijan’s recapture of the region that forced its ethnic Armenian population to flee to Armenia. The premier branded the Karabakh Armenian as “fugitives” and said they have no moral right to denounce him, sparking a storm of criticism from not only his detractors but even some sympathizers. He later apologized for his outburst.
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California Courier Online, March 30, 2026
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has repeatedly misled the Armenian public by making false promises since coming to power in 2018.
To preserve his seat, Pashinyan has used three ploys:
1) Promise the gullible people a rosy future using the slogan, “There is a future” (abaka ga);
2) Exploit the naïve public’s blind trust by making false promises;
3) Blame all his errors and the country’s current problems on former leaders, even though he has been in charge for eight years.
Whenever anyone points out his mistakes and deceitful promises, Pashinyan either denies ever making such statements or dodges the question. His excuse is that, since the people elected him, he can do whatever he wants, even though he never told his electors that he would hand over Artsakh to Azerbaijan and relinquish part of Armenia’s territories to the enemy state.
Since the parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place on June 7, Pashinyan is once again busy misleading the public. He and his ministers exaggerate their accomplishments, and act as if Armenia did not exist before 2018, when they came to power.
In order to fool the public, Pashinyan described in 2020 what his imaginary Armenia would look like in 2050, knowing full well that neither he nor his political party will be around by then. He called the plan “A Development Strategy for Armenia until 2050.”
His plan for 2050 is no different from many of his other fake promises. According to the well-known saying, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” Armenia’s citizens must finally wake up and realize that they are being deceived repeatedly by their incompetent but cunning leader.
Here is the list of Pashinyan’s 18 unrealistic goals to be accomplished by 2050:
• Increase Armenia’s population to at least five million.
• Create 1.5 million jobs.
• Overcome poverty through work.
• Increase Armenia’s GDP 20-fold.
• Increase the average salary seven-fold.
• Make a healthy lifestyle a national chracteristic; increase life expectancy to 90 years.
• Have the world’s most combat-ready army per capita.
• Have one of the 10 most efficient intelligence services in the world.
• Make learning a national way of life.
• Have at least three universities among the world’s top 200 ranked universities.
• Turn Armenia into a high-tech industrial country.
• Have at least five high-tech companies valued at $10 billion or more and at least 10,000 operating startups.
• Ensure a healthy environment; make Armenia climate-resilient and energy-efficient.
• Double Armenia’s forested areas.
• Win 25 Olympic gold medals.
• Make the Armenian national football team the winner of the European and/or World Championship.
• Win the title of world individual chess champion.
• Increase to 15 million the annual number of tourists visiting Armenia.
Many of these 18 goals are unattainable. Six years after Pashinyan’s announcement, there has been hardly any progress. Even though there is nothing wrong with having personal or national goals, to achieve them one needs to take the following steps:
1) Set realistic goals with a reasonable chance of success. Rather than getting up on a stage and saying whatever comes to mind, there needs to be an in-depth study before making haphazard public announcements.
2) Ask experts to develop a detailed, realistic, and achievable plan of action. The head of government must first consult specialists in various fields to develop a roadmap for getting the country from here to there.
3) Provide a timeline and incremental milestones. It is not enough to state what you want to achieve by 2050. The government must have a detailed plan that specifies actions to be taken each year until 2050.
4) Include the public in setting national priorities. The Prime Minister should not ignore the will of the people and singlehandedly decide what is best for citizens. He should organize local conferences in each region to ask the public what they would like to see accomplished by 2050. The government should also conduct public polls to obtain reliable data about citizens’ interests.
5) Most importantly, ensure competent leadership now. Before worrying about 2050 — or even 2026 — the country must have a competent leader. Armenia’s citizens have the opportunity in this June’s parliamentary elections to decide who can best lead the country now. Otherwise, they may not have a country by 2050.
Anar Rustamov formed a fake durable medical equipment company, or “DME” to fraudulently bill taxpayer funded Medicare for $90 million in supplies that were not needed or received according to DOJ officials.
Rustomov’s San Francisco Bay Area company Dublin Helping Hands was submitting the claims the Feds say.
The listed patients were unaware of the submissions and the referring medical provider listed did not authorize the claims, according to the indictment.
The claims listed everything from back braces to glucose monitors.
The fraudulent activity took place from October of 2024 and peaked in April of 2025 when the company submitted claims totaling more than $49 million.
“The billing volume and timing was designed to maximize the amount of money paid out before the fraud was detected,” the indictment said.
Rustamov is a wanted man, and officials believe he’s on the run. Special agent Robb R. Breeden said the agency will “pursue those who attempt to exploit federal health care programs — no matter where they attempt to hide.”
If convicted, Rustomov faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for each violation.
— April 15th Capitol Hill Commemoration and Congressional Staff Briefing will Link 1915 and 1923 Genocides to Present-Day Armenian Security and Artsakh’s Right of Return
WASHINGTON, DC –
Members of Congress will join with Armenian Americans and allies from across the United States on Wednesday, April 15th for the annual Capitol Hill Armenian Genocide observance and a Congressional briefing challenging the failure of theArmenia-Azerbaijan peace process to address Turkey and Azerbaijan’s unanswered crimes against the Armenian nation.The Capitol Hill program opens with a 1:00 p.m. Congressional briefing, “Peace Without Justice in the South Caucasus,” hosted by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) in Cannon HOB Room 130. Later that evening, the Armenian Genocide Congressional Commemoration – titled “Armenian Genocide: From Remembrance to Responsibility | Justice for a Century of Genocide | Armenia | Artsakh | 1915-2023” – will take place from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Rayburn HOB Foyer.
Both events will be live webcast on ANCA social media channels.
“Remembrance – a moral imperative, necessary to combat denial – is a requirement of truth. Truth in the service of justice; justice in the service of security – the key to lasting peace,”said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “On April 15th, the Armenian American community and our Congressional allies will reaffirm our collective commitment to justice – the release of Armenian hostages, the return of Artsakh refugees, and the restoration of desecrated Christian holy sites.”
Capitol Hill Armenian and Artsakh Genocide Observance
The evening Congressional Armenian Genocide Commemoration is co-hosted by the ANCA and the Armenian Assembly of America, in cooperation with the Congressional Armenian Caucus. It marks the most recent iteration of a decades-long tradition of annual Capitol Hill observances dating back to the first Capitol Hill commemoration, in 1965, marking the 50th anniversary of this crime.
This year’s program comes as Turkey and Azerbaijan’s genocidal crimes against the Armenian nation – from 1915 to 2023 – remain unaddressed and ongoing. Armenian prisoners of war and civilian captives, including Artsakh leaders, continue to languish in Azerbaijani detention. More than 150,000 Artsakh Armenians remain forcibly displaced from their homes. And Azerbaijan continues to occupy sovereign Armenian territory while pressing demands designed to foreclose any prospect of justice, accountability, or return.
Bus transportation to the Rayburn HOB Foyer is available, departing from Soorp Khatch Armenian Apostolic Church, 4906 Flint Drive, Bethesda, MD 20816, at 4:30 p.m. Buses will return immediately after the program. To reserve a spot, email [email protected] or call Elizabeth Chouldjian at (703) 585-8254.
Capitol Hill Staff Briefing: Peace without Justice in the South Caucasus
The 1:00 p.m. briefing is open to congressional staff and members of the public and will offer an expert assessment of the outstanding humanitarian and security issues that risk undermining any just and durable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
In August 2025, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev initialed a draft peace agreement at the White House. While presented as a diplomatic breakthrough, the agreement drew immediate concern from human rights and security experts for its failure to address critical unresolved issues — including the release of Armenian prisoners of war, the withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from sovereign Armenian territory, the protection of Armenian cultural heritage in Artsakh, and the right of return for the more than 150,000 Armenians forcibly displaced from their homes in 2023.
The White House summit also announced the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” – or TRIPP – a proposal under which Armenia would grant a U.S.-operated consortium exclusive development and management rights over a multi-modal transport corridor connecting Azerbaijan to its exclave Nakhichevan and onward to Turkey, under a 49-year lease extendable to 99 years.
The briefing will feature a round table discussion with two subject-matter experts
Dr. Robert Krikorian: Retired Senior State Department Official with more than two decades as an intelligence analyst and senior adviser in State’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research, and Ph.D. in History and Eurasian Studies from Harvard University.
Karnig Kerkonian, Esq.: International Human Rights Lawyer and founding partner of Kerkonian Dajani LLP, with expertise in complex litigation, international sanctions regimes, and public international law; J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School; Diploma in Public International Law from Cambridge University.
To register for the 1:00pm briefing, visit anca.org/rsvp.
ANCA Legislative Priorities
The ANCA continues to press Congress to take concrete action alongside any peace process, advancing three key pieces of bipartisan legislation:
The Azerbaijan Sanctions Review Act of 2025 (H.R.5369), led by Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), directs the Trump-Vance Administration to review the applicability of Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act sanctions against Azerbaijani officials responsible for war crimes, human rights abuses, and the ongoing illegal detention of Armenian prisoners of war and civilian captives.
The ARMENIA Security Partnership Act (H.R.6840), led by Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ), would prohibit the president from waiving Section 907 restrictions on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan unless the Aliyev regime takes concrete steps toward a lasting peace with Armenia.
The Armenian Genocide Education Act (H.R.2585), led by Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) and joined by Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Ted Lieu (D-CA), and David Valadao (R-CA), directs the Library of Congress to implement a nationwide education program about the genocide committed by the Ottoman Turkish Government from 1915 to 1923 against Armenians, Assyrians, Greeks, Syriacs, Arameans, Maronites, and other Christians.
Armenian Americans and allies are encouraged to contact their Senators and Representatives to encourage them to attend the April 15th events and to visit anca.org/action for the latest advocacy resources.
California is being investigated by a powerful congressional committee after the Post exposed rampant hospice fraud that’s cost taxpayers more than $100 million.
The House Oversight Committee sent shockwaves across the Golden State on Monday after launching the bombshell probe into widespread Medicare fraud on the West Coast.
The investigation comes off the back of the Post’s revelations multiple “ghost” hospices were allegedly billing the government while operating from buildings that have been abandoned for years.
The secret network included empty storefronts, auto parts shops and other offices that were not in use, while other addresses did not exist at all.
The Republican-led House Oversight Committee demanded all documents and communications relating to audits and oversight of federally-funded hospice programs be handed over.
Chair James Comer sent a damning letter to Governor Gavin Newsom, claiming the state has a “well-documented history of fraud in its hospice programs” and estimated the total amount at over $105 million.
The letter said: “Recent reporting has revealed alarming evidence of fraudulent activity in California’s hospice programs, including agencies overbilling Medicare and fraudulently enrolling beneficiaries without their knowledge.”
It added: “The Committee is concerned your administration does not have sufficient internal controls to prevent and detect fraud and is not conducting proper oversight of these hospice programs.
“As a result, Americans across the country are paying for California’s rampant hospice fraud and vulnerable patients are being exploited.”
The committee said its auditors estimate LA County hospice providers overbilled Medicare by at least $105 million in a single year, adding it had seen a 1,500% increase in registrations since 2010 — resulting in more than 2,800 providers across the state.
A Post investigation earlier this month obtained data detailing hundreds of suspect hospices and home agencies across the state, with numerous instances of agencies listed at the same location.
St Rita’s Home Health, which data shows billed Medicare about $4.3 million between 2019 and the first-half of 2025, was registered to a vacant Van Nuys strip mall with a “for rent” sign outside.
A similar story was about six miles away in North Hollywood, where another building that was listed as operating 12 hospice and home health agencies had the same sign hanging out front.
The Post contacted several of the companies allegedly operating inside the building.
One hung up when asked to confirm its location, another said it moved — despite still being listed on the CDPH database at the North Hollywood address — and a third went to a voicemail for ”Alexander from Southern California Auto.”
One alleged hospice fraudster had the audacity to show off her $4 million Carmel-by-the-Sea home for a news outlet just days before being arrested and charged with stealing $3.2 million from Medicare.
The Post’s findings were consistent with what whistleblowers and industry insiders have described elsewhere — an epidemic of medical scams, particularly in and around Los Angeles.
Dr Mehmet Oz, head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, told the Post earlier this month: “Thirty to 40% of all the hospices in America are in Los Angeles, so there’s just no way they are all legitimate.”
He swiftly cut off payments to suspicious operations across the city and said every hospice in the state was under investigation.
California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton told the Post: “‘Until I’m governor next January, it’s only through federal investigation and enforcement that we can expect real accountability for Gavin Newsom, who falsely claims that he’s cleaned up hospice fraud in California.”
Newsom came out swinging after the investigation was announced, claiming a moratorium he imposed in 2021 stopped “bad actors” entering the system.
A spokesman said: “In 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation placing a moratorium on new hospice licenses – a policy that remains in effect today, preventing bad actors from entering the system while strengthening oversight of existing providers.
“This work is delivering results, as more than 280 hospice licenses have been revoked over the past two years and an additional 300 providers are under investigation.
“The state continues to take coordinated action to suspend Medi-Cal payments, revoke licenses, and pursue prosecutions.”
Experienced hospice provider Kevin Tutunjian, founder of In the Arms of Grace Hospice, acknowledged fraud exists but defended the industry.
He said: “Blatant fraud is someone who just bills Medicare without the individual knowing. That is one thing.”
“But there are organizations trying to do the right thing, but maybe they just are ill-equipped to deliver quality care for whatever reason.”
The House committee has asked Newsom to provide records related to anti-fraud practices, audits, Medicare billing and other information by April 6.
commentary,
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Armenia has become a transit country for those arriving across the border with
As reported by “Caucasian Knot,” a collection of humanitarian aid for arriving Iranians has begun in Yerevan. An ambassador for one of the foundations stated that up to a million people could arrive in Armenia. Commentators on social media believe that the influx of refugees from Iran into Armenia will negatively impact the country’s economy and social sphere. Other users stated that it is necessary to help people in need. There are also concerns that the refugees will seriously impact relations between countries in the region.
164 Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant employees were evacuated from Iran through Armenia on March 27 and flown to Moscow. Since the escalation of the situation in the Middle East, 327 Russian citizens have been repatriated through Armenia.
The Iranian Embassy in Yerevan told the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent that there is no flow of refugees from Iran to Armenia, the border checkpoint is operating as usual, and there are no crowds on the Armenian-Iranian border.
They also noted that “people with dual citizenship are arriving in Armenia from Iran to then depart for their country via Zvartnots Airport, since flights to Iran have been canceled.”
According to the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia, “The border checkpoint in Agarak, on the border with Iran, is being completely reconstructed, and work is also underway from scratch on the project for a second customs checkpoint on the Armenian-Iranian border together with Iranian partners.”
Starting from February 28, citizens of 46 countries have been evacuated from Iran through the territory of Armenia, reported the press secretary of the Armenian Foreign Ministry Ani Badalyan, noting that they are entering to go to their countries.
“The transportation of foreign citizens from Iran through Armenia continues, if necessary, the Republic of Armenia provides them with support in obtaining entry visas,” she told a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.
The press secretary of the department added that “on March 28, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan held a telephone A conversation with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, in which “the ministers touched upon humanitarian issues and the situation in the Middle East.”
No applications for refugee status have been received from Iranian citizens, a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent was informed by the Migration Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Armenia.
Journalist and blogger Marut Vanyan reported that “he was on a business trip to the south of Armenia and did not observe a flow of refugees.”
“I spent two days in Meghri, visiting the Nurduz-Agarak checkpoint several times for several hours at different times. There were no refugees, as we know. Sometimes people with luggage would pass through the checkpoint, but it turned out that they were considering Armenia as a transit to another country,” he told a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.
A man who arrived from Iran on condition of anonymity told a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent that he arrived in Armenia several days ago and was heading to Germany. He is Iranian, but also has German citizenship, where he lives with his family.
“At first, I thought the war would end quickly, but when I realized it would be a long time, I decided to return to my family,” he said.
According to him, “there is a lot of bombing, Tehran is almost deserted, but hospitals and some stores are open, there is no internet.” “Foreign citizens and those who have additional citizenship of another country are leaving Iran. Iranian citizens are mostly not leaving. Perhaps “due to financial difficulties or patriotism. But there is movement within the country – mostly people go to places where there is no bombing,” he noted.
As a reminder, on February 28, Israel and the United States began striking Iran. Donald Trump announced the start of a large-scale military operation. In response, Iran began shelling Israel, American military facilities, and civilian targets in the Middle East, according to the “Caucasian Knot” report “Key points about the impact of the military conflict with Iran on the Caucasus”.
The “Caucasian Knot” has collected materials about the impact of military operations in Iran on the Caucasus on the thematic page “Iran: War is Near”. The “Caucasian Knot” also published a chronicle of the war in Iran.
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Iran Praises Armenia’s Support in Wartime
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi expressed deep appreciation for Armenia’s humanitarian support and assistance to Iranian citizens amid the ongoing US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran.
In a message posted on his X account in Armenian language, Araqchi highlighted the strong and enduring relationship between Iran and Armenia, noting that Yerevan’s support in facilitating the relocation of Iranians and providing humanitarian aid reflects longstanding ties between the two nations.
“The support of the government and people of Armenia for the people of Iran—in matters of relocating Iranians and providing humanitarian aid—is highly appreciated,” Araqchi said.
“The centuries-old ties between Iran and Armenia once again demonstrated their strength in a difficult moment, and these brotherly actions will remain in the memory of the Iranian people,” he added.
The US and the Israeli regime launched a large-scale unprovoked military campaign against Iran following the assassination of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, along with several senior military commanders and civilians on February 28.
The attacks have involved extensive aerial strikes on both military and civilian locations across Iran, causing significant casualties and widespread damage to infrastructure.
In response, the Iranian Armed Forces have carried out retaliatory operations, targeting American and Israeli positions in the occupied territories and at regional bases with waves of missiles and drones.
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News: Study finds Armenian alphabet structurally closer to ancient Ethiopic Ge
Addis Ababa – A new study has found that the Armenian alphabet may be structurally closer to the ancient Ethiopic Ge’ez than previously understood, shedding fresh light on possible historical connections between cultures in Africa and the Caucasus.
The research, conducted by scientists at San Diego State University and reported by Phys.org, used artificial intelligence to examine similarities among ancient writing systems. The findings were published in the journal Digital Scholarship in the Humanities.
Using a dataset of more than 28,000 Ethiopic characters, researchers trained a computer model to recognize structural features such as curves, straight lines, and angles. The system, which had no access to historical or cultural context, then compared these patterns with letters from Armenian, Georgian, and Caucasian Albanian alphabets.
The analysis showed that Armenian letters exhibited the strongest structural similarity to Ge’ez, followed by Caucasian Albanian with moderate resemblance, while Georgian showed weaker and less consistent similarities. By contrast, the Latin alphabet demonstrated significantly lower similarity, reinforcing the distinctiveness of the observed patterns.
“Our aim was to move beyond visual impressions that are difficult to test or replicate,” said Sam Kassegne, the study’s lead investigator. “By making our criteria explicit and mathematical, we introduced an objective computational approach that is easily reproducible.”
One notable finding is that the Armenian script appears nearly as similar to Ge’ez as Ge’ez is to its own earlier forms, suggesting the resemblance may not be coincidental. Both writing systems developed around the 4th to 5th centuries CE—a period marked by documented travel between Ethiopia and parts of the Middle East, including Jerusalem, Egypt, and Syria. Historical accounts also indicate that Mesrop Mashtots, credited with creating the Armenian alphabet, traveled within the region.
“What makes the research significant is that computational geometry and historical scholarship converge on the same scripts and time period,” said Daniel Zemene, the study’s first author.
While the researchers caution that structural similarity does not prove direct borrowing, the findings strengthen arguments that cultural contact and exchange may have influenced the development of writing systems across regions. The study also highlights the growing role of artificial intelligence in uncovering patterns in historical and linguistic research. AS
https://addisstandard.com/study-finds-armenian-alphabet-structurally-closer-to-ancient-ethiopic-geez-revealing-links-between-african-and-caucasus-scripts/
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American University of Armenia switches to online learning ‘amid threats from
The American University of Armenia (AUA) has shifted to remote lectures following threats from Iran to target US and Israeli universities in retaliation for attacks on Iranian universities. The AUA described the move as a ‘precautionary measure’, while stressing that it has received no direct threats.
The university released a statement on Monday noting that all classes planned for the day would be held ‘fully online’.
It added that the AUA was ‘monitoring the situation closely’ and would provide updates on any changes to the schedule if they occur.
‘In taking this step, we emphasise that we have received no direct threats against our university, and no indication that we are in any kind of danger, so there is no cause for alarm’, the AUA underscored in its statement.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued its warning on 29 March, weeks into its conflict with the US and Israel. It warned that Israeli and US universities ‘in the West Asia region’ were ‘legitimate targets’ in retaliation for Iranian universities damaged in US and Israeli attacks.
The IRGC issued the threats following the bombing of Tehran University of Science and Technology, as well as the ‘targeting Iranian universities with their bombings for the umpteenth time’.
The IRGC urged staff, students of American universities, as well as people residing near such institutions, ‘to stay at least one kilometre away from these universities to ensure their safety’.
It also issued a precondition: if the US government wanted its universities “to be spared at this stage beyond the two retaliatory targets, it must, by no later than 12:00 on Monday, 30 March (Tehran time), issue an official statement condemning the bombing of universities’.
‘If it also wants to prevent further strikes on its universities in the region, it must restrain its allied forces from attacking universities and research centres. Otherwise, the threat remains valid and will be carried out’, the statement concluded.
Following the threat, the American University of Beirut moved classes online, and the US Embassy in Iraq warned that American universities in Baghdad, Sulaymaniyah, and Dohuk could also be targeted.
Armenia has good relations with Iran, with whom it shares an open border, unlike Turkey and Azerbaijan. There is also a modest population of ethnic Armenians in Iran, numbering some 60,000 to 80,000, according to various estimates.
Armenia’s government programme for 2021–2026 describes the bilateral relations with Iran as ‘special’, adding that Yerevan is seeking ‘to further develop’ ties. Despite Armenia fostering closer bonds to the West, including the US, Armenia has continued to maintain its cordial relationship with Iran.
Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stated in mid-March that Armenia had sent its first humanitarian aid to Iran since the war broke out there on 28 February.
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American University in Armenia halts in-person teaching over Iran threat
American University in Armenia halts in-person teaching over Iran threat
The American University of Armenia said on Monday it was moving all classes online over Iranian threats to target US universities in West Asia.
Several US universities have campuses scattered throughout the Middle East, including Texas A&M University in Qatar and New York University in the United Arab Emirates.
Iran threatened to target US universities in the Middle East after saying US-Israeli strikes had destroyed two Iranian universities.
“Due to the threat made by Iran to target American universities in West Asia and the Middle East, all AUA classes on Monday, March 30, will be held fully online,” the university said in a statement.
The American University of Armenia said it had received no direct threats and stressed there was no cause for alarm, calling the move “a precautionary measure”.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard issued a statement, carried by Iranian media on Sunday, saying: “If the US government wants its universities in the region to be free from retaliation… it must condemn the bombing of the universities in an official statement by 12 noon on Monday, March 30, Tehran time.”
They advised “all employees, professors and students of American universities in the region and residents of their surrounding areas” to stay one kilometre (mile) away from campuses.
The same day, the American University of Beirut — one of the most prominent US institutions in the region — said it would operate remotely over the next two days.
In Jordan, the American University of Madaba, about 35 kilometres (22 miles) southwest of the capital Amman, also said it was holding online classes until Thursday for its 3,000 students.
AFP
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Why America’s AI Push in Armenia Faces Political and Security Risks
US AI investment in Armenia risks national security vulnerabilities without safeguards against political capture and chip diversion.
When Vice President JD Vance visited Armenia and Azerbaijan last month, much of the commentary focused on the military agreements and diplomatic signals. The more consequential development attracted less scrutiny: Washington’s approval to export next-generation Nvidia Blackwell processors for the construction of Armenia’s first large-scale artificial intelligence (AI) supercomputing center, built and operated by Firebird. This deal is nothing short of an act of geopolitical commitment in a country whose political direction is openly contested and where the surrounding risks have not been carefully enough distinguished. This distinction matters because the two principal risks facing the Firebird facility are structurally different, operate through different mechanisms, and require different responses. Washington should be asking two separate questions: What happens if Armenia’s next government is aligned with Moscow? And what happens if chips are diverted to Russia regardless of who governs?
The Firebird AI Data Center That Washington Approved in Armenia
The Firebird supercomputing center is a 100-megawatt facility expected to come online in Q2 2026. It will be the first project of its kind in the South Caucasus and, on paper, represents Armenia’s formal entry into the high-end global compute economy. The allocation structure is worth examining closely. Twenty percent of capacity is reserved for Armenian entities; eighty percent is contracted to US firms operating in the region. Put simply, this distribution is both commercial and geopolitical. By tying the majority of the facility’s output to American corporate demand, Washington embeds Armenia into US-linked AI supply chains while cultivating domestic capacity. This is especially the case given that the facility sits alongside a broader package of cloud cooperation agreements between Armenian entities and Amazon.
Taken together, these initiatives are designed to position Armenia as a Western-aligned technology hub in the South Caucasus, and to do so at a moment when Yerevan is actively recalibrating its relationship with Moscow. That strategic logic is sound. The question is whether Washington has adequately priced in the political environment in which this infrastructure will operate.
Armenia’s Elections and Constitutional Reform Create Political Risk
Armenia is heading into a June election whose only certain outcome is constitutional change. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has pledged a post-election referendum as part of an effort to secure a peace deal with Azerbaijan and to probably revise the institutional relationship between the Armenian state and the Armenian Apostolic Church. If Pashinyan wins and proceeds along this path, the facility’s operating environment is likely to stabilize. A peace deal with Azerbaijan would ease regional security pressures, potentially unlock transit corridors, and reinforce Western investor confidence.
The more disruptive scenario is an electoral upset. Samvel Karapetian, a Russian-Armenian billionaire, and his newly formed Strong Armenia movement have pledged to rewrite the constitution if they win a parliamentary majority. That pledge carries a specific implication that has received insufficient attention: Karapetian currently holds Russian citizenship, which under Armenia’s existing constitution makes him ineligible to serve as prime minister or as a member of parliament. Constitutional revision could remove that constraint. Washington is therefore embedding high-value AI infrastructure in a country where a credible electoral contender holds Russian citizenship, has pledged constitutional revision in ways that would benefit himself, and has built his commercial fortune substantially within Russian business networks.
Armenia’s Risk Landscape: Political Capture and Diversion
The political capture risk is about what a Karapetian-led government could do to the facility’s operating environment, not through overt expropriation, but through the gradual reconfiguration of the legal and regulatory framework surrounding it.
In fact, a critical legal precedent is already being established by the current government. Pashinyan has moved to revoke the operating license of Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA), the country’s electricity distribution network, which is owned by Karapetian, by invoking Article 60 of the constitution and proceeding to nationalize the enterprise. The justification advanced centers on alleged governance violations, financial irregularities, and energy security concerns.
The merits of these particular claims are not the point. Nor are the potential political motivations of Pashinyan’s team for going after Karapetian’s most valuable asset in the country. Rather, the key point is the legal mechanism that is being deployed. The Armenian state is establishing, in active practice, that privately owned infrastructure can be reclassified as a strategic national asset and brought under state control through constitutional provisions without abandoning formal rule-of-law procedures, and without requiring the kind of naked expropriation that would immediately trigger international arbitration. In other words, a legal architecture for any future strategic asset seizure is being stress-tested right now against Karapetian’s own company.
This, in turn, could set a precedent that would be readily available to any future government. A Karapetian administration, or a successor with similar interests, could apply the same reasoning to other infrastructure it deems strategically significant. High-value AI compute, with its obvious national-security dimensions, would be a plausible candidate. In such a scenario, the threshold question would not be whether such a move is legally conceivable. By deciding to go ahead with the nationalization of ENA, Pashinyan has already answered this.
The implications, however, extend beyond ownership. Effective control over sensitive compute infrastructure depends on personnel access as much as on property rights. Replacing system administrators, maintenance contractors, or executive leadership with actors aligned with Russian commercial interests could introduce exposure at the level of firmware updates and credential management. Shifts in the regulatory environment, including adjusted foreign-ownership safeguards, revised emergency powers, or reclassified security-review thresholds, could facilitate exactly this kind of gradual penetration of operational authority.
In addition, Russia retains additional leverage that amplifies these concerns. Armenia remains dependent on Russian energy supplies, grain, and transit infrastructure. Russia also maintains a military base at Gyumri. In a scenario of heightened pressure, legal mechanisms framed under national-security provisions could be deployed to justify forced partnerships or compelled data access. To be sure, this is not a high-probability scenario, but it is within the range of plausible contingencies that serious risk planning should address.
There is then the all too real risk of diversion, which is distinct from political capture since it does not depend on who wins the June election. Rather, it exists as a background condition under any Armenian government, including the current one.
In recent years, Armenia has functioned as one of several conduit routes, alongside Kyrgyzstan, through which sanctioned Western goods have entered Russia. The recent case of Cygnet Texkimp, a United Kingdom-based carbon fiber producer, illustrates the supply-chain opacity involved. UK export authorities suspended shipments to an Armenian buyer, a company called Rydena, following concerns about links to Russian military networks.
Admittedly, Firebird is a US-registered company with no known ties, direct or indirect, to Russia, which limits the analogy. However, Moscow’s formal and informal commercial presence in segments of Armenia’s economy, combined with established smuggling networks, means that the possibility of advanced chips being redirected cannot be dismissed as implausible. The materialization of this risk, moreover, does not require a hostile government in Yerevan. It only requires that private actors with access to the facility’s supply chains have incentives to divert components, and that oversight mechanisms are not sufficiently robust to detect or deter it. Given the scale of what is at stake—next-generation Blackwell processors—it is reasonable to assume that incentives will be there.
What Can Be Done: Protecting AI Infrastructure
Since the two identified risks are different, they each require a separate mitigation framework.
Against political capture, the priority should be contractual and structural. Agreements should include automatic suspension clauses tied to ownership changes in the facility’s governance, constitutional revisions that materially alter foreign-investment protections, or interference with inspection rights. US approval rights over critical subcontractors and key personnel appointments would also reduce the scope for gradual operational penetration.
For diversion-related risks, on the other hand, rigorous end-use verification, enhanced export-compliance monitoring specific to the facility, and sustained intelligence-sharing with Armenian customs and law-enforcement agencies constitute some of the most viable options that ought to be explored by relevant US agencies.
The longer-term solution to both risks is strategic presence via the recently established Tech Corps rather than defensive contracting alone. Embedding American technical personnel, training a local AI workforce to US professional standards, and building durable institutional relationships within Armenia’s technology sector would raise the cost of any future attempt to reorient the facility’s operational environment. Human networks are harder, albeit by no means impossible, to legislate away than contractual provisions. Washington should treat this facility not as a one-time export approval but as the foundation of an ongoing institutional relationship, one that does not depend on any single electoral outcome.
A Test Case Worth Getting Right: National Security Risks in AI Infrastructure
By all counts, the Firebird facility is a meaningful act of geopolitical commitment. However, commitment is not the same as strategic clarity. Washington has embedded high-value AI infrastructure in Armenia at precisely the moment when the country’s political trajectory, constitutional framework, and geopolitical alignment are all in motion simultaneously.
This does not mean that the export approval is a mistake. Armenia’s drift away from Russian dependency is a rare strategic opportunity, and technological embedding is a legitimate tool for reinforcing it. However, the value of this embedding depends on whether the surrounding risks are accurately identified and managed. If Washington manages to articulate the right mitigatory frameworks, Armenia could serve as a model for how Washington uses AI infrastructure partnerships to anchor emerging partners within American technological ecosystems. If it does not, the Firebird facility risks becoming an early case study of what happens when geopolitical and commercial ambitions could potentially endanger national security.
About the Author: Nima Khorrami
Nima Khorrami is an analyst at NSSG, a strategic risk consultancy firm, where he works on Iran and South Caucasus affairs. He is also a research associate at the Arctic Institute. Previously, he has worked at UK Defense Forum and OSCE Academy, amongst others, and has written for a number of publications and think tanks, including MEI in Washington, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, The Guardian, and War on the Rocks.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/techland/why-americas-ai-push-in-armenia-faces-political-and-security-risks
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