Recently, the “Zangezur Corridor” has become a significant source of tension between Iran and Russia, with various regional players pursuing their own interests. For Turkey, it connects the Turkic world; for Azerbaijan, it links to Nakhchivan; and for the US, it offers a route for transporting Central Asian energy to Europe via Armenia and Georgia, bypassing China and Russia. In contrast, Russia aims to prevent this and plans to enhance its border security in the corridor to maintain its military presence in the South Caucasus. Armenia and Iran are especially concerned about the implications of the corridor; while the Armenian government has its perspective, Iran views the corridor as a crucial red line that must not be crossed.
It all started when Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, speaking in Baku, accused Yerevan of undermining agreements to unblock communications through Armenia’s Syunik region, while emphasizing Moscow’s support for a swift peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan. “We advocate for the prompt signing of a peace treaty and the unblocking of communications. Unfortunately, it’s the Armenian leadership that is sabotaging the agreement signed by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The rationale for such a stance is hard to understand,” Lavrov stated.
Lavrov’s remark elicited a strong reaction from Tehran, rather than Yerevan. Mohsen Rezaei, former chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and current secretary of the Expediency Council, stated, “The behavior of the Russian statesman was unacceptable and contradicts their declaration of friendship with Iran; these ambiguities must be resolved.” It is worth noting that Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had previously made it clear to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pashinyan that Tehran opposes the opening of any corridor, though his rhetoric was never as harsh. Days later Iran’s ambassador in Armenia told local reporters that “the dreams some have about Armenia under different names, including the so-called corridor, will never come true.”
On September 3, Iran took a rather tough step and did not limit itself to mere statements. According to official information, the Russian ambassador to Tehran, Alexey Dedov, was summoned to Iran’s Foreign Ministry in connection with Moscow’s recent support for the “corridor” project that should connect Azerbaijan to Nakhichevan through the territory of Armenia, Iranian media reported. Tehran expressed its concern and said it opposes any geopolitical changes that could violate established borders in the region, proclaiming: “This move underscores the importance for Iran of maintaining territorial integrity and stability in the Caucasus, which is central to its national interests and regional security.”
From a diplomatic point of view, calling an ambassador to one’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is one of the toughest ways of expressing the official position of the receiving country. But this was not enough for Tehran and official Iran continued to insist on its position. On September 10, while in Armenia, the Iran deputy foreign minister told reporters Iran welcomes and is ready to facilitate the conclusion of a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan, but it is important to oppose any hidden agenda aimed at changing internationally recognized borders. “We are in favor of the concept of a unified region, developing the form of neighborliness. Of course, we also agree to the unblocking of regional communications. At the same time, we emphasize the principle of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries, as well as recognizing the sovereignty of the roads passing through their territories. We respect the interests of mutual interest in this region,” said the deputy foreign minister of Iran.
At the same time, he emphasized the need to respect the territorial integrity, sovereignty and jurisdiction of countries. “We believe that the South Caucasus should not become a field of competition for the struggle of foreign forces. In this context, we emphasize opposing any hidden agenda aimed at destabilizing the region and creating grounds for changing internationally recognized borders,” the Iranian diplomat stated.
Why is Iran concerned, and why are its reactions so harsh? Tehran believes the proposed Zangezur corridor would hinder its land access to Europe via Armenia and Georgia, a conclusion supported by the map. Iran will not accept any corridor in Armenia that divides the country. Additionally, Iran opposes any corridor under the control of another party, including Russia, as it would make its communications with other nations reliant on a third party. Iran perceives the potential corridor as a threat to its borders and regional influence. The opening of this route would diminish Tehran’s status as a regional superpower and significantly reduce its transit revenues.
Additionally, Iran is concerned that the corridor would bolster the positions of the EU and NATO near its borders, particularly given Armenia’s close ties with the West and military drills with the US, which Iran carefully monitors with suspicion. Iran’s firm position has obstructed the corridor’s establishment, leaving Yerevan awaiting external players to reach an agreement on its own territory.
On September 17, the Russian national security adviser visited Iran to soften Russia’s position on the so-called Zangezur corridor. As mentioned in an official Russian statement, Sergey Shoigu, secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, during negotiations with Ali Akbar Ahmadian, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, confirmed his support for the Islamic Republic of Iran’s policy on corridors and communication routes with Azerbaijan, reported the Iranian Mehr Agency. It was noted that Shoigu met with Ahmadian in Tehran on September 17 and conveyed a message from Russian President Putin to the Iranian side. “The senior Russian security official arrived in Tehran on the instructions of the Russian president to implement the agreements reached during the visit of the representative of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution and Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ahmadian to Saint Petersburg,” the statement concluded.
Hours later, the response came from Turkey. The head of Turkey’s intelligence service emphasized that a comprehensive peace agreement between Yerevan and Baku is extremely important for ensuring long-term stability in the Caucasus and for the development of communications along the Azerbaijan-Armenia-Nakhchivan [Nakhichevan]-Turkey-Europe route, including the opening of the so-called Zangezur Corridor. We see now that Russia chose not to hurry at this point and did not contradict the Iranian position as Tehran is very determined to push its agenda. We also notice that Turkey is trying hard to push Russia to join the club of Zangezur corridor supporters and to put additional pressure on Armenia to agree on the Baku-Ankara project.
Originally published at https://mirrorspectator.com/2024/09/20/iranian-russian-tensions-over-the-zangezur-corridor/
