Zangezur Corridor - Islamic World News

This article examines the Zangezur Corridor initiative and the entry of the United States into the project through a private company—an involvement that could carry significant security and geopolitical consequences for the Caucasus region and beyond. Designed to connect Baku to Nakhchivan, the corridor leverages its strategic geography and has become a tool in broader geo-economic and geopolitical rivalries. By backing this project, the U.S. seeks to control transit routes, curb Russian and Chinese influence, and exert pressure on Iran. This presence, especially alongside military cooperation with Turkey and Israel, poses potential threats to both Iran and Russia. This article focuses on the corridor’s security, economic, and strategic dimensions, and the evolving role of the United States.

In separate meetings with representatives from Azerbaijan Republic and Armenia, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi emphasized Tehran’s opposition to the Zangezur Corridor and the interference of foreigners in the region.

In the southernmost part of the Caucasus, Iran shares a 750-kilometer border with Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan region, of which about 138 km had been controlled by Armenian forces after the end of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War (1991–1994). After the Second Karabakh War in 2020, these areas returned to the sovereignty of Azerbaijan. For its part, Iran’s border with Armenia is only 40 km and yet is considered a lifeline for the three million Armenians whose landlocked country has been regionally isolated by Azerbaijan and Turkey.

ISWNews Analysis Group: In continuation of the tensions in the Caucasus region, last night and this morning, Azerbaijani artillery targeted the positions of the Armenian forces in the border areas of Kalbajar, Lachin and Armenian territory.