Iran has issued explosive threats to block a strategically vital corridor planned under Trump’s Azerbaijan-Armenia peace deal, raising the specter of regional conflict that could derail what was hailed as a diplomatic breakthrough. The Islamic Republic’s fierce opposition to the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity exposes deep geopolitical fault lines that threaten to transform a peace initiative into a flashpoint for broader confrontation. Tehran’s warning that the corridor will become a “graveyard for Trump’s mercenaries” signals Iran’s determination to prevent American encroachment on its sphere of influence. This escalating standoff could unravel months of delicate negotiations and plunge the South Caucasus into renewed instability.
Iranian Opposition and Threats
Iran threatened on Saturday to block a corridor planned in the Caucasus under a regional deal sponsored by U.S. President Donald Trump, Iranian media reported, raising a new question mark over a peace plan hailed as a strategically important shift.
The proposed Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) would run across southern Armenia, giving Azerbaijan a direct route to its exclave of Nakhchivan and in turn to Turkey.
The U.S. would have exclusive development rights to the corridor, which the White House said would facilitate greater exports of energy and other resources.
It was not immediately clear how Iran, which borders the area, would block it but the statement from Ali Akbar Velayati, top adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, raised questions over its security.
“This corridor will not become a passage owned by Trump, but rather a graveyard for Trump’s mercenaries,” Velayati said.
Regional Power Dynamics
Iran’s foreign ministry earlier welcomed the agreement “as an important step toward lasting regional peace”, but warned against any foreign intervention near its borders that could “undermine the region’s security and lasting stability”.
Analysts and insiders say that Iran, under mounting US pressure over its disputed nuclear programme and the aftermath of a 12-day war with Israel in June, lacks the military power to block the corridor.
Trump welcomed Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the White House on Friday and witnessed their signing of a joint declaration aimed at drawing a line under their decades-long on-off conflict.
Russian and Turkish Responses
Russia, a traditional broker and ally of Armenia in the strategically important South Caucasus region, was not included, despite its border guards being stationed on the border between Armenia and Iran.
While Moscow said it supported the summit, it proposed “implementing solutions developed by the countries of the region themselves with the support of their immediate neighbours – Russia, Iran and Turkey” to avoid what it called the “sad experience” of Western efforts to mediate in the Middle East.
Azerbaijan’s close ally, NATO member Turkey, welcomed the accord.
Implementation Challenges
“The chapter of enmity is closed and now we’re moving towards lasting peace,” said Elin Suleymanov, Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Britain, predicting that the wider region’s prosperity and transport links would be transformed for the better.
There remained only one obstacle, said Suleymanov, which was for Armenia to amend its constitution to remove a reference to Nagorno-Karabakh.
“Azerbaijan is ready to sign any time once Armenia fulfils the very basic commitment of removing its territorial claim against Azerbaijan in its constitution,” he said.
Iran’s threats to block the Trump corridor expose the fragile foundations of what appeared to be a diplomatic triumph, revealing how regional peace initiatives can quickly become flashpoints for broader geopolitical confrontation. The Islamic Republic’s inflammatory rhetoric and military posturing demonstrate that Tehran views the TRIPP route as an existential threat to its regional influence rather than a benign transportation project. The coming months will test whether diplomatic engagement can overcome Iran’s opposition or whether the corridor will become the battleground Tehran has promised.
GCN.com/Reuters.