Minister says Aras corridor remains intact despite US-backed Zangezur plans
Iran’s transport minister said the Aras (Kalaleh) rail and road corridor remains active and under Iran’s control, rejecting claims that Tehran has been sidelined by new regional transit initiatives involving the United States and Armenia.
“The Aras rail and road corridor, with Iran at its core, is still in place,” Minister of Roads and Urban Development Farzaneh Sadegh Malvajerd told ILNA on Monday.
“This route, which reconnects Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan through Iranian territory, continues to operate, and Iran remains at the heart of it,” she said.
Her remarks came amid reports that the so-called “Peace and Development” plan — which includes US participation in the Zangezur, or TRIPP, corridor — aims to establish an American foothold in the South Caucasus and exclude Iran from regional transit routes. The plan reportedly grants the United States a 99-year exclusive management right over the Zangezur corridor, raising concerns in Tehran over potential constraints on Iran’s regional trade links.
Sadegh Malvajerd dismissed such concerns, saying, “The idea of removing Iran from the corridor has no meaning.”
“The route on which Armenia has reached preliminary agreements with the United States has essentially no connection to Iranian territory,” she said.
She added that Tehran remains committed to completing the Aras corridor, contingent on the allocation of necessary financial resources. “With financial support prioritized, we will rapidly complete the Aras corridor, and this route will strengthen the region,” Sadegh Malvajerd said.
However, the minster questioned the feasibility of the US-Armenia initiative, noting, “The path they have agreed on passes through steep, mountainous terrain, making it unlikely to be completed in the near future. However, the Aras-Kalaleh corridor remains intact, provided we can complete its infrastructure as quickly as possible.”