by PressTV
The Islamic Republic of Iran opposes the US-controlled Zangezur Transport and Energy Corridor project, which is intended to connect Azerbaijan to its exclave of Nakhchivan through Armenian territory, Ali Akbar Velayati, senior advisor to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, told the Tasnim news agency on Saturday, August 9.
«Security in the South Caucasus is threatened by the implementation of this plot and Iran, with or without Russia, will act to preserve stability in this region.", Velayati said.
The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that Russia is strategically opposed to the establishment of a US-controlled corridor in Armenia, he added.
Velayati described as "meaningless" the presentation by American President Donald Trump of this corridor as a means of establishing peace in the region.
The former Iranian Foreign Minister (1981-1997) claimed that this project would lead to the disintegration of Armenia and that it was rejected by the country's population.
He also said that this corridor will lead to an increased presence of the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the region, warning that we will not allow NATO to approach Iran's northern borders.
Under an agreement signed Friday between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Washington, Armenia granted the United States exclusive rights to develop a corridor in its southern province of Syunik, bordering Iran, to connect Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan.
Iran has long opposed the project, arguing that it would alter the geopolitical order in the South Caucasus and limit Tehran's ability to use transportation networks in the region.
source: PressTV