Iran warns Zangezur Corridor a US-Israeli plot to block Tehran, Moscow

The Cradle, July 27, 2025 —

Israel’s close ally, Azerbaijan, is seeking land access to its Nakhchivan enclave via US control of Armenian territory on Iran’s border.

Ali Akbar Velayati, senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, warned on 27 July that the proposed Zangezur Corridor is a geopolitical scheme “pursued as a cover for broader projects” led by the US, Israel, NATO, and pan-Turkic movements, aiming to undermine Iran’s national security.

Speaking at a ceremony in Tehran, Velayati said the corridor’s true objective is to “weaken the Resistance Axis, sever Iran’s link with the Caucasus, and impose a land blockade on Iran and Russia in the region’s south.”

He described the plan as part of “America’s strategy to shift pressure from Ukraine to the Caucasus” and accused its backers of seeking to erode Iran’s cultural and historical unity.

“Iran’s national security is our red line,” he declared, adding that Tehran has already deployed forces to its borders and adopted a policy of “active prevention rather than passive reaction” to confront these threats.

Velayati emphasized that projects like the Zangezur Corridor are not merely economic, but “in truth, separatist,” designed to fracture Iran’s strategic depth.

The Zangezur Corridor plan emerged after the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war as part of the Russia-brokered ceasefire.

The ceasefire agreement called for establishing a transportation corridor on Armenian land along the Iran border to connect Azerbaijan and its exclave, Nakhchivan.

Baku interprets the agreement as a green light for a secure and uninterrupted corridor through southern Armenia under its control, while Yerevan insists all routes must remain under full Armenian sovereignty.

The 2021 Shusha Declaration between Turkiye and Azerbaijan had already outlined long-term infrastructure strategies, including the corridor.

Earlier this week, a confidential memorandum obtained by Periodista Digital revealed a controversial agreement that would place Armenia’s Zangezur Corridor under US control for 99 years, effectively surrendering key national territory to US private military companies and facilitating unimpeded Azerbaijani access to Nakhchivan and Turkiye.

The document, titled “Memorandum of Understanding on the Creation of the ‘Trump Bridge’ Transport Corridor,” has reportedly been approved by Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the US, according to the Spanish newspaper.

Although the agreement affirms Armenia’s sovereignty over the Syunik region, the corridor itself will be operated and secured by a licensed US private military company (PMC), which is expected to deploy approximately 1,000 personnel.

The PMC will be authorized to use force to “preserve the integrity of the corridor,” effectively placing it outside Armenian control.

According to the report, the corridor’s militarization by US proxy forces also reflects broader strategic goals by establishing a permanent US foothold on Iran’s border. Though initially unarmed with heavy weaponry, the presence of US-aligned forces on the Armenia–Iran frontier marks a major geopolitical shift.

The memorandum has sparked outrage among some Armenians and members of the Armenian diaspora, with many calling Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s agreement to the terms an act of national betrayal.

During its unprovoked war with Iran in June, Israel reportedly launched drones from Azerbaijani airspace, presumably with permission from Baku. Azerbaijan has also long been a hub for Israel’s Mossad, while also providing oil, via Turkiye, to Israel to power its ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.

Earlier this year, Israel’s Begin-Sadat Center for International Studies observed that Azerbaijan has long been known as one of the “pillars” of Israel’s regional security architecture and a base for Israeli intelligence operations.

The center noted that in 2012, the Times of London reported that dozens of Israeli intelligence operatives were active in Azerbaijan, citing a Mossad operative.