The agreement reached at the White House between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to secure peace in the South Caucasus has provoked fury among Iranian conservatives, with one saying the region will be turned into a “graveyard for Trump’s mercenaries,” writes the Middle East Eye (MEE).

Iranian politicians have hit out at the plan to create the “Zangezur corridor”–a proposed land link between Azerbaijan and its autonomous exclave, Nakhchivan–with the involvement of US forces.

The plan also involves the corridor being developed by American companies and rebranded the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP).

Ali Akbar Velayati, international affairs adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said: “Is the South Caucasus an unclaimed area that Trump can rent? The Caucasus is one of the most sensitive regions in the world. This passage will not become a corridor owned by Donald Trump, but a graveyard for Trump’s mercenaries.”

The Kayhan daily echoed Velayati, writing: “Finally, both Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to this great betrayal! They have opened the path to create a military and intelligence base for the United States and Israel in the north of our country.”

Kayhan, which is run by hardline groups close to Iran’s supreme leader, also called for the Strait of Hormuz to be closed to US and Israeli ships.

Ali Bagheri Kani, a member of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, also condemned the deal, saying, “This is not an issue Iran can easily ignore… Foreigners, especially the United States, wanting to enter the Caucasus region is unacceptable to Iran.”

Tensions between Tehran and Baku had already worsened before the agreement, when Iran accused Israel of using Azerbaijani airspace during the 12-day Iran-Israel war, the MEE added.