Pashinyan Meets Iranian President as Tehran Questions Trump Route

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met Friday in Turkmenistan for their second round of talks in just over two weeks, as Tehran continues to voice concerns over a U.S.-backed transit route planned along Armenia’s border with Iran.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of a Commonwealth of Independent States summit, following a series of diplomatic exchanges between Yerevan and Tehran.

Pezeshkian called for closer cooperation between the two countries, saying stronger coordination would help build trust and expand bilateral relations, according to his office. He also stressed the importance of maintaining stable, long-term ties with Armenia.

Pashinyan’s office said both leaders were confident that relations between Armenia and Iran would soon reach a new level. The two last met September 23 during the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Their latest meeting followed Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan’s visit to Tehran on Monday, where he held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and other senior officials. The two foreign ministers spoke again by telephone Thursday about implementing agreements reached during the visit, although Armenia’s Foreign Ministry did not provide details.

Neither government mentioned the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) in its official account of Friday’s meeting.

The U.S.-backed project would establish a transit connection between mainland Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan exclave through southern Armenia, near the Iranian border.

The initiative emerged from the Armenian-Azerbaijani agreements reached at a White House summit in August 2025.

Iran has expressed concern about the prospect of an expanded American presence in the South Caucasus, particularly near its northern border.

During his meeting with Mirzoyan on Oct. 5, Araghchi warned about the consequences of foreign involvement in regional affairs. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf raised similar concerns, saying the South Caucasus should not become an arena for competition among foreign powers.

Armenian officials have sought to reassure Tehran that the project does not threaten Iranian interests.

Speaking in parliament Wednesday, Mirzoyan said Iran was satisfied with the transparency Armenia had maintained throughout discussions on TRIPP.

Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Khalil Shirgholami, however, has called for a mechanism to address potential security risks arising from a U.S. presence near Iran. He pointed to the U.S. and Israeli military campaign against Iran as a reason for Tehran’s concerns.

Despite those differences, diplomatic contacts between the two neighbors have intensified. Friday’s meeting was the second between Pashinyan and Pezeshkian since late September, while their foreign ministers have remained in regular contact as Armenia moves forward with the U.S.-backed transit initiative.

—

Support independent reporting from the region by subscribing to The Armenian Report. Our team is funded solely by readers like you.