Iran's behavior regarding the “Zangezur corridor” is alarming Baku and Ankara, according to an expert.

Iran's behavior regarding the “Zangezur corridor” is alarming Baku and Ankara, which, although they have not abandoned the idea of opening an extraterritorial route through Armenia, nevertheless consider any venture to be risky. This opinion was expressed in an interview with Sputnik Armenia by political scientist and security expert David Harutyunyan.

He commented on the statement by Ali Akbar Velayati, advisor to Iran's supreme leader, that Tehran's decisive actions had thwarted plans to open the corridor. The politician noted that the opening of an extraterritorial corridor would have divided Armenia and blocked Iran from the north.

Harutyunyan is not inclined to believe that the project is completely dead, and it certainly cannot be said that Iran's position alone thwarted the project. Most likely, the international situation is also not conducive to Azerbaijan's expansionist plans. According to the expert, apart from Turkey, no other major player has supported or supports possible aggression by Azerbaijan. And the factor of inevitable opposition and resistance from the Armenian Armed Forces should not be discounted.

"Of course, Iran has also played a role in the fact that Azerbaijan and its sponsor Turkey have not yet resorted to aggression. I think an important factor is the position of strategic uncertainty that Tehran has taken. Through its statements and actions, Iran has managed to create an atmosphere of unpredictability regarding its response to Azerbaijan's adventure. In such a situation, Turkey and Azerbaijan have no guarantees that, in the event of military action against Armenia, the Islamic Republic will limit itself to mere statements," Arutyunov noted.

Turkey believes that in the event of military intervention by Iran, it will have to do the same. And then the situation could escalate into a large-scale regional war with all the consequences that would entail. Arutyunov admits that Iran's position now plays a decisive role, partly because of the tense situation in the Middle East and Turkey's attempts to play on anti-Israeli sentiments. Against the backdrop of the theoretical but dangerous possibility of a clash with Israel, Turkey would not want to conflict with Iran as well.

Velayati's statement is noteworthy against the backdrop of the “thaw” in Iranian-Azerbaijani relations observed in recent months, with high-level visits: Iranian President Pezeshkian visited Baku in April, and in May the parties conducted exercises in the border areas. According to Arutyunov, Tehran is making it clear that no matter how active the dialogue with Azerbaijan may be, there are red lines and long-term interests that take precedence over everything else. In this case, Iran's interest is to preserve Armenia's territorial integrity and its connection with the outside world through Armenia. And Tehran has so far demonstrated and continues to demonstrate that it will not compromise on this issue.

Reprinted from https://am.sputniknews.ru/