November 9, 2026 Velayati issued the warning in an article published in the Ettelaat newspaper, referring to attempts at establishing the so-called Zangezur corridor that is designed to link the Republic of Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan without Armenian checkpoints, a plan that Iran vehemently opposes. Commenting on the Armenian parliament’s approval of the so-called “Trump Route (TRIPP)” project, which aims to establish the Zangezur corridor, Velayati criticized Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s policies and said this futile step by Pashinyan “and his followers will truly embarrass the noble nation of Armenia, a nation with a moderate and wise political history.” Regretting the Armenian premier’s moves in recent years, he said one of the harmful actions of the new government of Nikol Pashinyan was the intensification of the hostility between Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, which has now intensified more than ever. “Recently, Mr. Pashinyan has taken actions that have no other result than creating division and problems for Armenia,” he said. “The set of (his) negative actions that are against the interests of the Armenian people can be summarized in one word, and that is the intensification of compliance with the actions of the West.” Velayati warned that this behavior of Pashinyan, considering his complicated past record, opens a new chapter of hostility and tension in the South Caucasus. “He has been in contact and talking secretly and openly with all interested parties claiming to maintain security or disrupt it for more than eight years. Now his relations with the Republic of Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey and possibly in the future, Georgia are shaky and unpredictable. His latest action is the approval of the baseless and ill-considered proposal of the man of a thousand faces (Trump) regarding the renaming of the Zangezur Corridor to the Trump Route. In two separate meetings with the Deputy Foreign Minister of that country who came to Tehran and the other with the Armenian ambassador to Tehran, I told them some things clearly. And those things were: The Islamic Republic of Iran is aware of Russia’s problems with regard to Ukraine. Therefore, Armenia may miscalculate and think that because Russia is involved in the war in Ukraine, it cares less about the security of the South Caucasus. And therefore, in a press interview, I said that Iran, with or without Russia, considers itself responsible for maintaining the security of the South Caucasus. Just as since the time of Cyrus the Great, the Caucasus up to Darband, Dagestan, has been a security buffer for Iran.” He went on to say, “I told the Armenian ambassador the final word, clearly, that if Trump and his allies want to cross this Iranian red line, we will break their legs.”