Iran Defends Armenia’s Sovereignty: “There Will Be No Corridor, and Nothing Will Happen by Force”

​​Iran has once again made its position clear on the issue of so-called “Zangezur Corridor.” Speaking in Yerevan on September 9, Iran’s Ambassador to Armenia Mehdi Sobhani said firmly: “There will be no corridor, and nothing will happen by force.” The ambassador said that there is no mention of any corridor in the peace agreements or in the declarations signed with international participation. He stressed that what exists is a road, and any connection must remain under Armenia’s full sovereignty.

This statement is important at a time when Azerbaijan is trying to push a false narrative. President Ilham Aliyev, in his speech to the 13th Meeting of the CICA Think Tank Forum, declared that Armenia’s Syunik region—Zangezur—is already part of Azerbaijan. He described the so-called “Zangezur Corridor” as a key transport route of Eurasia. Once again, he avoided mentioning Armenia and tried to present Armenian land as Azerbaijani territory.

Political analyst Suren Surenyants in Armenia points out that Aliyev is continuing with his dangerous “corridor logic.” His aim is to strip Armenia of sovereignty over Syunik roads and present them as belonging to Azerbaijan with a special status. To his domestic audience, Aliyev shows that he has not abandoned the demand for a corridor. To the international community, he pushes the claim that the Middle Corridor cannot function without Azerbaijan’s version of “Zangezur.”

For Armenia, the truth is simple: roads can exist, but no corridor can or will. Any route across Syunik must remain under Armenian control. Yet, there are growing concerns inside Armenia that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government may give in to pressure. To this day, the authorities in Yerevan have not denied claims about possible leasing of the Syunik road for 99 years, nor have they made it clear that Armenia will exercise customs control. This silence only increases public suspicion that concessions are being prepared.

Meanwhile, in Baku, Aliyev’s allies are trying to glorify him as the “father” of this corridor. During an extraordinary parliamentary session, the First Deputy Speaker of Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis, Ali Ahmadov, said: “The ‘Zangezur Corridor’ should also bear the name of President Ilham Aliyev.” Ahmadov went further, calling the talks in Washington a “great diplomatic victory” and comparing the project to the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline, which carries Heydar Aliyev’s name.

This is yet another example of Azerbaijan’s expansionist agenda. For decades, Baku has sought not only to destroy Artsakh but also to weaken Armenia itself by targeting Syunik, the lifeline of the Armenian state. By declaring Zangezur as “Azerbaijan” and demanding a corridor, Aliyev is openly rejecting Armenia’s sovereignty.

Iran’s strong rejection of any corridor shows that Armenia is not alone in resisting these pressures. Tehran understands that any attempt to cut through Armenian territory by force would destabilize the entire region. For Iran, preserving Armenia’s sovereignty and borders is also a matter of regional security.

What Azerbaijan presents as a “corridor” is nothing more than another tool of aggression. Armenia must remain firm that there will be no corridor, only roads under Armenian law and control. History has shown that every concession to Azerbaijan only leads to more demands.

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