Iran and Armenia have not reached even a preliminary agreement on the TRIPP project, according to Major General Rahim Safavi, directly undermining earlier claims by Pashinyan’s government that the initiative had been coordinated with Tehran.
Safavi said Iran has clearly communicated its “red lines” to the Armenian side and that negotiations remain ongoing.
Tehran strongly opposes any deployment of U.S. military personnel in connection with the project or any arrangement that would transfer responsibility for securing the route in the South Caucasus to American forces. Iran views such a presence near its border as a potential threat to its national security.
Safavi said the acceptable arrangement for Tehran would be for Armenian border guards to maintain direct control over Armenia’s border with Iran and over transport routes passing through the area.
He also warned that if security responsibilities are transferred to U.S. forces, Iran reserves the right to take responsive measures.
The statement exposes a clear gap between Tehran’s position and the picture previously presented by Pashinyan and his government. Armenian officials had claimed that the TRIPP project had been coordinated with Iran and that there were no fundamental disagreements between the two sides.
Safavi’s remarks indicate that key security questions remain unresolved and that Iran continues to object to elements of the project that Pashinyan’s government had publicly portrayed as effectively settled.
