The TRIPP Route – known by Azerbaijan as the Zangezur Corridor – is creating new geopolitical and economic realities in the South Caucasus. Azerbaijan is nearing completion of the infrastructure work required on its section of the route, while preparations for implementing the project on the Armenian side are continuing. The United States’ involvement in the project, however, has raised serious concerns in Iran.
Political commentator and human rights defender Ahmad Shahidov, currently in Washington, says that reports claiming US military forces will be stationed along the Armenian section of the TRIPP Route are inaccurate. According to Shahidov, the United States’ economic and strategic involvement in the project should not be confused with the deployment of US troops on Armenian territory. He argues that Iran’s main concern is the growing political and strategic role of the United States in the South Caucasus.
Ahmad Shahidov notes that following the US-Iran confrontation, Tehran has become increasingly cautious about the establishment of US military bases in neighboring countries and the deployment of US troops in the region in any form. He warns that if Iran eventually views the TRIPP Route as a threat to its national security and sovereignty, it could resort to acts of sabotage or an attack against the project. Such a scenario, Shahidov emphasizes, would no longer be a local incident, but could mark the expansion of the US-Iran confrontation into the South Caucasus and trigger a broader regional escalation.
