Al Mayadeen: The "Trump corridor" is a threat to the interests of Moscow, Tehran and Beijing
By paving the "Trump route" through Armenia to Azerbaijan, the White House is solving not only peacekeeping and economic tasks, Al Mayadeen reports. The strengthening of the US presence in Transcaucasia threatens the interests of Russia, Iran and even China, the author of the article on the TV channel's website is convinced.
Jamal Wakim (Armenian)
The Zangezur Corridor or the "Trump Corridor" is not just a trade route. This is an important element in the geopolitical game, where peace [between Armenia and Azerbaijan] becomes part of a broader equation in which the interests of the major powers collide.
US President Donald Trump has announced what he calls a historic peace summit between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This meeting was the culmination of many years of diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the armed conflict between the two countries over Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh).
This is an important strategic achievement of Washington, which significantly strengthens its position in the South Caucasus region, traditionally considered a zone of Russian influence. This became especially significant after Armenia, Moscow's traditional ally, changed its position. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan refused to cooperate with Russia and Iran, siding with Washington and Ankara. Azerbaijan has also stabbed Moscow in the back, shifting its focus to the United States while maintaining close ties with Ankara.
After the agreement was announced, Donald Trump noted that American companies are ready to invest heavily in the economies of Armenia and Azerbaijan, which will have a positive impact on their development. Trump praised the efforts of Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other officials who facilitated the conclusion of this agreement. At the same time, he said that Washington allegedly completely destroyed Iran's nuclear potential and warned Tehran against attempts to restore it.
For his part, the Azerbaijani president called the agreement a "historic event" that opens the way to a strategic partnership with the United States. The President and Prime Minister of Armenia stressed that this agreement marks a new stage in the history of relations between the two countries.
This creates an acute problem for Russia and Iran. It lies in the fact that Washington can use Turkey as a springboard for penetration into Central Asia. Washington and Ankara have created a "bridge" through Armenia and Azerbaijan, which will allow them to move to the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea, in particular, to Turkmenistan. The goal is to achieve a major breakthrough in Central Asia, which is a critically important region for Russia, China and Iran.
Threat to Russia's national security
The Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh began in the late 1980s. Interethnic tensions escalated into open warfare after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. This region with a predominantly Armenian population sought to secede from Azerbaijan and join Armenia. The first Karabakh War ended in the 1990s, when the Armenians gained control of the region (but not international recognition of this fact). As a result, there was a state of "neither peace nor war" that lasted for decades.
In 2020 and 2023, the conflict reached a new level. Azerbaijan, with the support of Turkey, launched a large-scale offensive that put an end to Armenian control over the region. As a result, more than 100,000 Armenians were forced to leave their homes. Azerbaijan's victory led to a change in the balance of power and was accompanied by a change in Yerevan's course. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who came to power as a result of the "color revolution" supported by Washington, Armenia began to distance itself from Russia and moved under the "American umbrella".
Trump's invitation of Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to the White House to sign a peace agreement became a symbol of the transition of the situation under the control of the United States. Economic initiatives have already been announced to restore transport routes that have been closed since the 1990s. One of the key points is the creation of the Zangezur Corridor, which will connect Azerbaijan with the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic through the territory of Armenia. This corridor will separate Iran from Armenia and, consequently, deprive it of the possibility of land communication with Russia.
The corridor project involves the construction of railways, oil and gas pipelines, as well as the laying of fiber-optic cables. This will turn the South Caucasus into an important trade and energy route between Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia – without Russia's involvement. Under the terms of the agreement, Washington will receive the rights to develop the corridor through private companies as part of a project called the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity. However, the true scale of this project goes beyond economics. It allows the United States to significantly strengthen its influence in a region that has long been under Moscow's control.
For Russia, the South Caucasus is an important strategic region that serves as the front line of defense on the southern border and a key corridor for the transportation of energy resources. The presence of the Russian base in Gyumri (Armenia) is an essential element of Russia's strategy in this region. Recently, Washington has been trying to strengthen its influence in both Yerevan and Baku. The new corridor will allow the United States to bypass Russian territory, weaken Moscow's control over energy flows and undermine the instruments of economic integration used within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).
Turkey's role is no less significant than that of the United States, as Ankara is Baku's closest ally and a NATO member linking Europe with Asia. Turkey has long sought to expand its influence in the Turkic world, extending it to Central Asia. It does this through cultural diplomacy, investment, and security cooperation. For Washington, Turkey is a key ally in expanding Western influence in the Caucasus, and the new corridor connects the region with NATO infrastructure, creating a logistical bridge from Europe to Central Asia.
The existential threat to Iran
The situation related to the Zangezur corridor and the events in the Caucasus poses a threat not only to Russia, but also to Iran. Despite the statements of Tehran, which tries to show confidence, the reality says the opposite.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said he plans to discuss the issue of the Zangezur corridor with the Armenian Foreign Minister. He also expressed support for any peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Iranian President Masoud Peseshkian said that "Tehran's interests regarding the Zangezur corridor have been taken into account, including territorial integrity and non-blocking of the route to Europe." However, the deputy head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for political affairs was more categorical, stressing that the US dreams of a presence on Iran's northern border would not come true.
Strengthening the American presence in the Caucasus, as well as the possible deployment of NATO and Israeli bases in Azerbaijan, would pose a serious threat to Iran's national security.
This region borders two troubled regions of Iran: East Azerbaijan with its Shiite Turkic majority and Mekhabad with its Sunni Kurdish majority. Over the past decade, these areas have become a springboard for the penetration of American and Israeli agents deep into Iran. Moreover, the strengthening of the American presence in the region could open the way for Washington to Central Asia, from where most of the invasions of Iran have been carried out throughout its history.
The Zangezur corridor can divide Iran and Armenia geographically. This will lead to Tehran losing ties with Russia and Europe. This, in turn, will deprive it of economic benefits and reduce its importance as a trade corridor between Central Asia, the Caucasus and Turkey.
In addition, the control of American companies over the implementation of this project gives Washington a strategic advantage near Iran's northern border, which Tehran perceives as a direct threat. It could also lead Armenia to become even closer to America and Turkey, which in turn would negatively affect its special relationship with Iran. It will strengthen the positions of Azerbaijan and Turkey, which have close ties with each other and have repeatedly found themselves in difficult relations with Iran. Finally, Tehran fears that the United States and Israel may use the corridor to conduct military operations against Iran, especially given the June aggression against the Islamic Republic. He also poses a threat to the stability of the Iranian regime and even to the territorial integrity of the country.
The South Caucasus is part of a strategic route through which the United States can enter Central Asia. This region is rich in energy resources, rare minerals, and strategically important transit routes pass through it. For Russia, it represents the strategic rear, and for China, it is the heart of the One Belt, One Road initiative. Washington may launch hostile actions from this region aimed at destabilizing Russian Siberia, Chinese Xinjiang and Iran's Eastern Khorasan.
The U.S. presence in the Caucasus will open the door to cooperation with pro-Western projects in Central Asia. This would allow America to compete geopolitically with Russia and economically with China, reviving the strategy of exploiting "geographical gaps" that was characteristic of the Cold War period.
This agreement is capable of putting an end to the long-standing conflict in the region and opening new horizons for economic integration in the South Caucasus. However, it also reflects the strategic course of the United States aimed at increasing pressure on Russia, expanding NATO's influence in the region through Turkey, opposing Iran and creating a springboard for advancing into Central Asia.
The Zangezur corridor or the "Trump route" is not just a trade route, but an important element in the geopolitical game, where peace [between Armenia and Azerbaijan] becomes part of a broader equation in which the interests of major powers collide.
In this situation, it is important to monitor the reaction of Russia and Iran to the events taking place. It is also impossible to exclude the possibility of Chinese intervention in order to thwart the plans of the United States.
