Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iran’s leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, has reiterated that Iran will prevent the establishment of the so-called “American corridor” in the South Caucasus with or without Russia’s cooperation.
Velayati said the corridor would pose a threat to regional security and a shift in the geopolitical map.
Speaking to Tasnim News Agency, Velayati dismissed US President Donald Trump’s claim of leasing the “Zangezur Corridor” for 99 years as “naïve” and compared it to “renting the Panama Canal from across the world”.
He stressed Iran’s longstanding opposition to the corridor, saying it aims to alter borders, undermine Armenia’s territorial integrity, and enable NATO’s presence between Iran and Russia.
Velayati recalled that when Turkey and Azerbaijan pressed ahead with the plan, Iran’s armed forces conducted multiple drills in the northwest to demonstrate readiness to stop it.
He went on to say that linking Nakhchivan to mainland Azerbaijan requires no special corridor, as transit through Iran is available.
The advisor to Iran’s leader underscored that the project is a political plot disguised as a trade route, warning that NATO’s encroachment on Iran’s northern borders will be met with firm resistance.
“Prevention is better than cure”, he said, reaffirming Iran’s determination to defend its interests.