Tehran – The Republic of Azerbaijan is making a splash again with the infamous corridor proposal. This time, it dragged the US and NATO into the saga after being forced to abolish the plans last year when Iranian forces accumulated the border with Armenia.
The proposed “Zangetur Corridor” in Azerbaijan is more than just a transport route. The purpose of this plan is to link the country’s mainland with the elimination of Nahtivan (a connection already protected through Iran) with a new route to slice Armenia. However, unlike existing routes through Iran, Baku is seeking control of this new corridor. This means that if the Zanjur Project were to come to fruition, it would ultimately crush the historic border in southern Schnik province with Iran.
Azeri President Elham Aliyev and his Turkish guard Recep Tayyip Erdogan have reclaimed territory in the surrounding area, which had been held by Armenian forces since 1990, after the war in 2020, when Baku regained control of most of the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The peace agreement signed at the end of the war included provisions for new transport routes linking the mainland Azerbaijan with Naktivan, but did not grant Azerbaijan control over the internationally recognized Armenian territory.
The two presidents spoke frequently about the corridors in 2023 and 2024, even having Russia announce the lack of opposition that was apparent at one point. However, they determined that Zanjur could not be realized after Iranian forces and equipment began gathering at the Armenia border, according to information obtained by the Tehran Times.
However, it appears that Baku and Ankara are testing new ways to make plans come true. Last month, US Ambassador Turkey Tom Barracks announced Washington’s offer to build and manage Zanjur to “move” negotiations in the South Caucasus. Aliyev has since appeared to have gained a new boldness, declaring earlier this month at a media forum that there was “no mutual arrangement.”
Aliyev, who has been president since 2003 in place of his father, is trying to capitalize on changing regional and global dynamics to advance the Zanjur project, said Hossein Salaasei Fodini, a researcher and expert in the South Caucasus region. “Bakku acknowledges Iran’s solid opposition and aims to avoid a direct conflict with Tehran,” he said. “Therefore, a variety of international players, including Israel, the UK, the US and NATO, are trying to raise interests and block Iran’s potential political and military intervention.”
Number statements from Americans and Azeri in recent weeks have already wary of Iranians. On Monday’s presser, a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry reiterated Iran’s position that the transport routes linking mainland Azerbaijan with the Nakhtiban must respect the “national sovereignty” and “territorial integrity” of regional countries. “Tehran is closely monitoring this issue as it relates to the national interests of the country,” the spokesman added.
A day ago, Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to the leader of the Islamic Revolution, brought the strongest condemnation of Zanjur’s proposal to date. He said the corridors aim to encourage connections and advance economic projects, but to weaken Iran’s position in the South Caucasus, impose land blockades on Iran and Russia, and ultimately incite separatism within Iran.
If Azerbaijan, Türkiye and the US continue to pursue these plans, military conflicts seem inevitable. In his statement, Verayati indicated that Tehran intends to relocate its troops to the border and pursue a policy of “active prevention” rather than reactive measures.
In the case of military conflict, Tehran may also retaliate the Azerbaijan report reported in Israel’s involvement in Israel’s 12-day war that occurred between June 13 and June 24. Baku has denied these reports, but said Iran is investigating the issue.
Additionally, infringement of Armenian territory would add another legal challenge to Aliyev’s existing list of concerns, Seyfodini said. Azerbaijan is already facing charges of war crimes committed during the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, with at least two complaints filed with the International Criminal Court (ICC) by rights groups representing Armenian victims.