Tehran: Iran has said it will block a corridor planned in the Caucasus under a United States-brokered peace accord between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which has been hailed by other countries in the region as beneficial for achieving lasting peace.
Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, stated, “This corridor will not become a route owned by Trump. Instead, it will become the grave of Trump’s mercenaries.”
A senior Azerbaijani diplomat had stated on Friday that the plan announced by Trump was just one step toward a final peace deal between his country and Armenia. The proposed ‘Trump Route’ (TRIPP), aimed at fostering international peace and prosperity, would pass through southern Armenia, providing a direct route for Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan and Turkey.
The White House announced that the U.S. would have special development rights to the corridor, which is intended to facilitate the export of energy and other resources. However, Iran opposes the plan, which it sees as strengthening American influence in the region. It is not clear how Iran, a neighboring country, would block the route, but the statement from Ali Akbar Velayati raises serious security questions.
Trump had welcomed Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the White House on Friday, where they signed a joint declaration aimed at drawing a border in the decades-long conflict.
