Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s visit to Armenia on Monday will focus on ensuring that the South Caucasus geopolitical map remains unchanged, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, and stressed that Tehran is categorically against any change in borders, or the presence of foreign military forces in the region.

Pezeshkian’s visit to Armenian capital Yerevan will provide an opportunity to once again highlight Iran’s concerns and “reach a calming mechanism in this matter,” Araghchi noted in an exclusive interview with IRNA

“Our [i.e. Iran’s] main concern is that there should be no change in the geopolitics of the region, that foreign forces should not enter the region. We are concerned, for example, about the presence of the Zionist regime [i.e. Israel] in some countries, or the attempts of the European Union to establish itself here,” he stressed.

Araghchi clarified that Iran’s understanding of the term “geopolitical changes” is not abstract.

“By saying ‘geopolitical changes,’ we mean the change of internationally recognized borders, their revision, or the violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the states in the region,” the Iranian FM said. “We have been very clear that we will not tolerate this, and our policy [on this matter] has always been clear.”

Also, he pointed to the US-brokered peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan initialed on August 8 in Washington DC, and noted that both Baku and Yerevan had clearly committed to respecting one another’s existing borders and sovereignty.

“From that perspective, our [i.e. Iran’s] geopolitical concerns seem to have been resolved for now,” Araghchi added. “But whether they will stick to it in the future, we will follow it closely.”

In addition, the Iranian FM expressed Tehran’s concerns about possible US engagement in the region under the pretext of “infrastructure projects.”

“Another concern of ours is that this road [via Armenia] could become a pretext for the presence of American forces in the region,” Araghchi said.

He noted that in recent days, senior Armenian officials, including Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, have assured Iran that American forces, as well as private US security companies, will under no circumstances enter Armenia because of this road.

Araghchi stressed that all these matters will be discussed in detail during Iranian President Pezeshkian’s visit to Armenia.

“They [i.e. Armenia] have told us that they are aware of Iran’s ‘red lines,’ and will respect them in the future,” the Iranian FM said. “However, we will continue to closely monitor this matter.”