Iran was against the concept of the so-called “Zangezur Corridor” and had officially stated that if any country neighboring Armenia tries to cross the border on this matter, Iran will take more decisive measures. Iranian ambassador to Armenia Khalil Shirgholami stated this at a conference on the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) regional transport project on Thursday.

“At the same time, we [i.e. Iran] see that this project is not being discussed, and this matter has been overcome at the moment. The project under discussion [i.e. TRIPP] does not fully reflect the desires and goals that Baku and Ankara were pursuing, and at the moment it is not the project that they wanted to implement.

What we have heard during discussions with Armenia’s authorities and what we see within the framework of the project confirms the principle of preserving the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Armenia. This is an acceptable principle in relations between countries.

Iran has a special approach to the matter of Armenia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, and considers it one of its sensitive issues. And considering [Armenia’s southernmost] Syunik [Province] as a strategic capital for Armenia, especially in terms of ensuring connectivity with Iran, TRIPP or any other project that does not pose a threat to Armenia or Iran-Armenia relations is not a problem from a diplomatic point of view. In the case of the implementation of any project, Armenia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty should not be jeopardized.

In addition, the presence of Americans near the Armenian-Iranian border should not pose a threat to Iran.

If these two conditions are met, as well as Armenia’s interests are taken into account, then Iran will not object to the implementation of the TRIPP project,” Shirgholami noted.

Also, the Iranian ambassador to Armenia noted the importance of cooperation within the framework of the “3+3” format, as well as the importance of non-interference of extra-regional powers in regional affairs.