Armenia is a friendly country for Iran, and there is a high level of trust between the leaders of the two countries, Iranian ambassador to Armenia Khalil Shirgholami told a press conference Wednesday.

“We [i.e. Iran] are happy for any positive step in the de-blockade and development of Armenia. Within the framework of de-blockade, Armenia can play an important role in both the West-East and the North-South directions. The same North-South corridor in Armenia can have two branches: from Oman to Russia and India, as well as from Oman to the Black Sea,” the Iranian diplomat noted.

“As for the agreements between Armenia and the US, our [i.e. Iran’s] position is clear: we have informed our Armenian colleagues that, ‘We trust you, but we are dealing with the US, which has taken actions against Iran.’ We do not trust the US. We are concerned that the US may use this [Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP)] project within the framework of its security policy. We have conveyed this to our Armenian colleagues. The latter have assured that Armenia will never become a source of threat to Iran. We have agreed that our discussions will continue regularly to understand the scope of this project,” Shirgholami added.

He noted that relations between Iran and Armenia are of strategic importance and no issue should challenge these relations.

“We hope that Iran’s concerns will be considered and dispelled. We continue to keep this issue in the center of attention,” concluded the Iranian ambassador to Armenia.