Why Iran should avoid geopolitical dead end over Zangezur corridor
By Abdolreza Farji‑Rad
Professor of Geopolitics
Iran opposed the Zangezur corridor—a proposed transport link through southern Armenia (Syunik province) aimed at connecting Azerbaijan proper with its Nakhchivan exclave—on grounds that Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey and possibly Israel, might seize the route by force. Given President Ilham Aliyev’s particular views on Iran and ethnic matters, such a takeover could be viewed as a direct threat to Tehran. It could create a geopolitical choke point, where Iran’s truck access to Russia, Belarus or Eastern Europe would hinge on Azerbaijan’s political whims, leaving Turkey as Iran’s sole corridor to Europe and restricting Tehran’s strategic options.
Alternatively, if Armenia were to establish a rail or road link through its own territory under pressure from Turkey and Azerbaijan—Aliyev having repeatedly threatened to enforce the corridor by force—the strategic picture would shift entirely. There is a stark difference between a route under Azerbaijani sovereignty and one controlled by Armenia; the two scenarios are worlds apart.
Currently, a territorial dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia over part of Armenian land remains unresolved.
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