American corridor project in Armenia poses new strategic threat on Iran's border

The Armenian parliament approved by a large majority the construction of the TRIPP land corridor in southern Armenia, managed by the US, connecting Azerbaijan to the Nakhchivan exclave. Iran responded with harsh criticism and implicit threats, fearing a US military presence on its border and the severing of its only land connection to the Caucasus.

On October 28, 2025, the Armenian parliament approved, by a vote of 63 to 32, the construction of a land corridor between Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan exclave through southern Armenia, near the Iranian border. The corridor, named TRIPP (The Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity), will be managed by a joint US-Armenian company, with the US holding a majority stake. The agreement was signed in August 2025 at the White House under the mediation of President Trump. Iran responded with harsh criticism, including implicit threats from a senior advisor to the Supreme Leader, Ali Akbar Velayati, who published an article in the newspaper "Ettela'at" accusing the Armenian prime minister of creating dependence on the West. The state news agency MEHR published an editorial against the project. Iran's concern is twofold: fear of a US military presence on its border and fear of severing its only land connection to the Caucasus. Armenia has given Iran assurances that the corridor will be purely economic, but Tehran continues to monitor closely.