Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi used talks in Tehran with visiting Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan to restate concerns about the role of “third parties” in regional affairs, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency. Araghchi said lasting peace and stability in the South Caucasus depend on regional states resolving their own issues and preventing interference by extra-regional powers.
The comments referred to the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), a planned corridor along Armenia’s border with Iran that would link Azerbaijan with its Nakhichevan exclave and Turkey. Tehran has repeatedly warned that the arrangement could weaken Armenian control over the border and create a U.S. security presence on Iran’s doorstep.
Iran’s ambassador to Armenia, Khalil Shirgholami, said in July that Yerevan had still not addressed what he called his country’s “very legitimate and logical” concerns. He urged the creation of a “mechanism” to manage “potential risks of U.S. presence and threats to Iran” stemming from TRIPP.
Armenia’s Foreign Ministry said Mirzoyan briefed Araghchi on “the work being carried out to implement the TRIPP project and the new opportunities it offers to countries in the region.” The Armenian readout did not mention Tehran’s continuing concerns.
Instead, Yerevan said the ministers highlighted the strategic nature of bilateral ties and discussed plans to expand trade, including construction of a second bridge over the Arax river on the Armenia-Iran border. Tasnim also reported that Araghchi raised Iran’s conflict with the United States, blaming Washington for ongoing disruptions to commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, while Mirzoyan reiterated Armenia’s hope for a negotiated solution.
