YEREVAN — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was in Yerevan on Friday, October 16, 2026, accompanying Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to participate in the high-level UN COP17 Leaders' Summit on Biodiversity.

Speaking directly to reporters on the sidelines of the global summit, Araghchi addressed lingering domestic concerns in Iran regarding the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) infrastructure project. In a decisive show of regional solidarity, Iran’s top diplomat emphasized that Tehran places full faith in its strategic neighbor.

"We have concerns regarding any US presence in the region and in our immediate vicinity, but on this specific issue, we are in close contact with our Armenian friends and trust them," Araghchi stated. He added firmly that Tehran knows Armenia will do nothing to compromise Iran's national security.

Close Diplomatic Coordination

The TRIPP project—which seeks to establish transport and transit links connecting Azerbaijan to its Nakhichevan exclave via Armenian territory—had previously drawn scrutiny from Iranian officials. Tehran has consistently opposed the alternative, highly controversial concept of an extraterritorial "Zangezur Corridor," repeatedly warning that any alteration to the geopolitical borders or the status of the Armenian-Iranian frontier is strictly unacceptable.

However, following a series of bilateral discussions initiated after Washington-backed agreements on August 8, 2025, tensions have visibly eased. Araghchi noted that intensive consultations between the two neighbors are actively continuing.

"My good friend, the Foreign Minister of Armenia [Ararat Mirzoyan], was recently in Tehran," Araghchi told reporters, referencing productive diplomatic meetings held on October 5. "We have held productive consultations, and today our president will meet with Prime Minister Pashinyan—the second such meeting in the last two weeks. Thus, we are in close contact."

Resolving Tehran's Concerns

The press brief follows a shifting stance from Iranian leadership. In September 2026, Iran’s Ambassador to Armenia, Khalil Shirgholami, clarified that Tehran would not object to the transit route's implementation, provided that Armenia's complete sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected and any threatening US military footprint is entirely ruled out.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan formally briefed the Iranian side on the project's technical progress during his visit to Tehran earlier this month. On October 16, Mirzoyan confirmed to reporters that all of Tehran's explicit questions regarding the TRIPP project had been answered, stating that the Iranian government appeared fully satisfied with the transparency of the process.

Photo: Associated Press