"Trump Corridor" will trigger a new war between Iran and Israel, and may even lead to a Third World War

Tehran reminds Yerevan of the outcome of Armenia's participation in the Anglo-Turkish "Great Game"

Image: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (right) and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (left)

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned during a phone call with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan that "the U.S. economic projects in the South Caucasus may aim to consolidate and expand its influence in the region."

Therefore, "it is necessary to be especially vigilant about future American actions, as the U.S. may use investment and peace statements as a cover to try to establish hegemony in the South Caucasus." Pezeshkian believes that Armenia "should not allow third-country armed forces to participate in the transit corridor project connecting Azerbaijan's mainland with Nakhichevan."

The Iranian Foreign Ministry commented on the agreement between Aliyev and Pashinyan regarding the "Trump Corridor," stating that "this is a transit road that will be built by Armenia, located within its territory, and under its jurisdiction." Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, "Tehran's position has been taken into account, but since an American company wants to participate in the project, we will continue to monitor the situation." Previously, the agreement between Pashinyan and Aliyev in Washington mentioned it, but regardless, the presence of the United States on Iran's northern border is becoming a reality, and the expansion of U.S. influence in the region could, in specific circumstances, strengthen NATO's position throughout the South Caucasus, which was also mentioned recently by Iran's Supreme Leader's advisor Ali Akbar Velayati.

He warned that this was just the first step, and more active actions could follow. According to him, Armenia "should not allow third-country armed forces to participate under the pretext of laying transport routes."

The issue lies in the fact that the "Zangazur Corridor" has historical roots dating back to 1918, when the plans for expansion into Western Turkestan in the Anglo-Turkish "Great Game" gradually took shape against the backdrop of the collapse of the Russian Empire and revolutionary turbulence after World War I.

Thus, the Transcaucasus became another political testing ground from 1918 to 1920, where arbitrary-boundary national entities were tried. It was Zangazur and Karabakh that provided the Turks with the shortest spatial path into the "Turkic world," which went against the interests of Russia, Persia, and related countries. By the way, at the Batumi conference in June 1918, Turkish general Vehib Pasha had already informed Armenian delegation head Alexander Khachaturyan about this, and Tehran was a firm opponent of the Anglo-Turkish "Turan" plan, which would pose a strategic threat to the territorial integrity and security of the Persian state.

However, after the Soviet Union collapsed and the conflict over the status of Nagorno-Karabakh between Armenia and Azerbaijan escalated, Zangazur returned to the major political stage again. On November 9, 2020, the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia issued a tripartite online statement and subsequent declaration, formally establishing the concept of the "Zangazur Corridor."

Although the term "Zangazur Corridor" was not explicitly mentioned in these documents, they included the position of "opening all traffic communications in the region." Notably, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev first explained the "Zangazur Corridor," citing the need for unrestricted communication links between the Azerbaijani mainland and the Nakhichevan exclave.

Baku and Ankara did not hide the fact that the "Zangazur Corridor" holds greater geopolitical and geo-economic significance than just transportation links, as their eyes are set on the "Belt and Road" project, which allows Turkey to enter the East from the West.

Iran believes that the implementation of the "Zangazur Corridor" project poses a pan-Turkic threat, which not only enhances the economic power of NATO member state Turkey but may also, in the future, use ethnic separatism to threaten the territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This is the most important thing for Tehran.

Due to the strengthening of the Turkish factor on its northern border and economic reasons, Iran has always firmly opposed the project. However, with the reformist Pezeshkian in power, Tehran hopes to ease its stance towards the West in order to export its natural gas to Europe. These are the main details and suspense of the current situation.

It should be noted that Iran is an important partner of Russia in the "North-South" international transport corridor project. Moscow aims to ensure that goods can reach Iran and India (Asia) via Azerbaijan and then into the Persian Gulf through this project. Therefore, Iran's opposition to the Zangazur project may become an obstacle to the "North-South" route, and Velayati clearly hinted at this, stating that the corridor constitutes a threat to the strategic interests of Iran, Russia, and so-called "resistance front" countries.

Because it is the United States that controls this corridor and the reconciliation process between Yerevan and Baku. Some experts believe that Washington not only tries to act as a mediator in the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia but also proposes its own conditions for reaching a peace agreement. This prospect directly relates to the interests of Iran and Russia and extends the issues of the Transcaucasus to the Middle East.

This means that the future is not just a negotiation over transportation, but a high-risk diplomatic game. What comes next will be more interesting.

After making remarks in a live stream, Pezeshkian faced criticism. He first stated that negotiating with Washington is better than going to war, and then downplayed the controversy surrounding the Zangazur Corridor. "Do you want to go to war?" he said, apparently addressing Iranian hardliners, "Okay, if you want to fight, they will attack us. If we rebuild nuclear facilities, they will attack them again. What else can we do if we don't negotiate?"

Later, Pezeshkian clarified, "Of course, we will not do anything against the will of the Supreme Leader." However, this did not reduce the criticism.

Later that day, Pezeshkian sparked a new round of discussion when answering questions from the national television about the Zangazur Corridor, saying that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi assured him that the project would not harm Iran's interests. Some commentators supported Pezeshkian, calling his stance pragmatic in the tense situation.

This coincided with the return of senior conservative figure Ali Larijani, as the representative of the Supreme Leader, to the National Security Council. Sharp lines of tension began to emerge in the situation surrounding the "Zangazur Corridor." In addition, Western media reported that a new war between Israel and Iran is about to break out, "which may start in the fall and could be more intense in this prolonged war."

The little-known coordination of actions by Washington and Tel Aviv in the Zangazur negotiations confirmed that Netanyahu is waiting for the most suitable moment to strike Iran again.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7538069739542594074/

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