JD Vance’s Caucasus trip deepens concerns over sovereignty, security and US meddling

By Mohsen Pakaein

Although the stated purpose of US Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Armenia and Azerbaijan was to advance the peace process between the two countries, American media have suggested that the real focus lay in the White House’s interest in constructing a 34-kilometer road and rail corridor – known as Zangezur – to connect Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan.

The August 2025 meeting between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan and the US president at the White House was widely seen as lacking substantive outcomes and resembling a political spectacle aimed at rehabilitating Donald Trump’s warmongering image.

During the meeting, Ilham Aliyev and Nikol Pashinyan even nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize – a bid that failed, leaving the leaders of both Baku and Yerevan sharing in that political embarrassment.

In return, Trump pledged to deploy American companies to build the proposed crossing.

The corridor, located in Armenia’s Syunik province – fully within its territorial integrity and along the border with Iran – would link eastern Azerbaijan to its western exclave, Nakhchivan.

However, the terms and feasibility of constructing this route depend on ongoing peace negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which have stalled amid unresolved differences.

Meanwhile, the US, pursuing its own interests, appears intent on appropriating the peace achieved between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Moscow in 2020 by inserting American companies into the construction of the so-called Zangezur corridor.

Yet the project is far from straightforward: Armenia’s conditions for approving the crossing remain unmet, and negotiations with Azerbaijan are still unresolved.

The presence of the US in the Caucasus, particularly as a belligerent actor near Iran’s borders, cannot be justified and has already triggered strong reactions from Iran and even Russia.

If Armenia and Azerbaijan seek to open this crossing with full security, it would be in their interest to exclude US involvement.

Zangezur lies in Armenia’s Syunik province, firmly within the country’s territorial integrity, yet it also borders Iran. Tehran has made clear to the Armenian government that it will not tolerate a US presence along its borders, even under the guise of commercial activity.

Iran maintains constructive relations with both Armenia and Azerbaijan within its broader policy of strengthening ties with neighboring states.

Accordingly, the crossing could be developed through the participation of Iranian, Azerbaijani, and Armenian technical and engineering firms, ensuring appropriate quality and cost.

The United States’ motives for entering the South Caucasus – one of Eurasia’s strategic crossroads – are highly questionable. By asserting itself in the region, Washington appears intent on sending a threatening signal to Russia and bolstering its geopolitical position.

Both Russia and China have expressed concern over US interference, while Armenia and Azerbaijan have stressed the need for the passage to remain secure. Armenia, in particular, has explicitly stated that it will not compromise its territorial integrity.

In this context, it is imperative for decision-makers in Baku and Yerevan to carefully assess the risks and geopolitical consequences of a US presence.

By recognizing Washington’s objectives, they can better safeguard the peace, stability, and security achieved in the South Caucasus since the end of the Armenia-Azerbaijan war

Mohsen Pakaein is a former Iranian diplomat and a foreign policy analyst.

(The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Press TV)

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