US Seeks Control of Contested Zangezur Corridor, Sparking Geopolitical Alarm

According to Saed News, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack unveiled on July 15 that the United States has offered to assume management of the proposed Zangezur corridor, a route intended to connect mainland Azerbaijan to its exclave of Nakhchivan by traversing Armenian territory. Historically demarcating Iran’s northern frontier, Syunik province would, under this plan, effectively cede control of the passage to Baku and Ankara—an arrangement long resisted in Tehran.

Originating amid Azerbaijani–Armenian hostilities of 2023–24, the corridor has been championed by Azerbaijan and Turkey as a means to facilitate trade and regional integration. Yet Iran has vocally opposed any alteration to its adjacent borders, asserting that forceful implementation would compel a direct intervention. According to South Caucasus analyst Ehsan Movahedian, “Americans want to manage the Zangezur project because they seek to hurt the interests of Iran, Russia and China…their ultimate aim is the disintegration of the country.”

Heightened tensions followed unverified reports of Azerbaijani airspace violations by drones during Iran’s recent conflict with Israel, and allegations—denied by President Ilham Aliyev—of Baku’s collusion with Tel Aviv. Further exacerbating distrust was Aliyev’s meeting with Syrian militant leader Hassan Al‑Jolani, reviving memories of Iran’s protracted campaign against ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

As Tehran and Yerevan assess the implications, the U.S. proposal threatens to reshape South Caucasus geopolitics, pitting great‑power ambitions against the preservation of historical boundaries and regional stability. Iranian officials have warned that any attempt to enforce the corridor without full consensus could provoke a robust governmental response.