Is Iran opposing Russia because of the Zangezur Corridor?

Iran has criticized Russia for supporting Azerbaijan’s demand for unhindered access to the Nakhchivan enclave by opening the Zangezur transport corridor through Armenia. The criticism was contained in a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran on September 2.

The statement noted that this support from Russia would effectively block Iran’s direct access to Armenia. The Iranian Foreign Ministry also mentioned that a meeting took place in Tehran between the Russian ambassador and the head of the Eurasian Department of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Mojtaba Demirchilu, an aide to the minister. During the meeting, it was stated that Iran opposes “any geopolitical changes in the Caucasus.”

Political commentator Elkhan Shahinoglu commented on the situation in the program "Difficult Question." According to him, Iran's policy towards Azerbaijan remains unchanged — since the Second Karabakh War, Tehran continues to make anti-Azerbaijani statements, issuing threats that the implementation of the Zangezur Corridor project represents a red line for Iran. Iran has frequently held military exercises, and the Iranian media regularly publishes anti-Azerbaijani articles.

Shahinoglu noted that there is still hope that with the election of the “reformist” of Azerbaijani origin, Masoud Pezeshkian, as president of Iran, the situation might change. However, Iran’s Supreme Leader, his inner circle, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have not adjusted their policy towards Azerbaijan.

For instance, when hosting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who visited Tehran for Pezeshkian’s inauguration, Ali Khamenei, seemingly trying to exert pressure on Pashinyan, reiterated that Iran still believes the idea of the Zangezur Corridor does not serve Armenia's interests.

The political analyst noted that now Iran has decided to send a message to Russia. "Of course, Iran cannot threaten Russia, as Russia is too large a state. Additionally, Russia is a partner of Iran, a buyer of Iranian weapons, and they have joint projects. However, seeing that Russia is not opposed to the opening of the Zangezur Corridor (under the condition that it will be controlled by Russia), Iran is subtly signaling its disapproval," Shahinoglu said.

The expert also believes that Tehran's claim that the opening of the Zangezur Corridor would supposedly block Iran’s direct access to Armenia lacks any logic and does not reflect reality. “Iran's desire to prevent the opening of the Zangezur Corridor is part of its broader anti-Azerbaijani policy,” Shahinoglu concluded.