Ali Akbar Velayati, advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, opposes the creation of a U.S.-backed corridor included in the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan mainly because of the potential NATO presence close to its borders.

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“Iran will not allow it,” Velayati said, referring to the 43-kilometer corridor, in an interview with Tasnim news agency. He described the corridor as “a political plot against Iran and other neighboring countries” and predicted its failure.

The agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan includes reopening a corridor connecting Azerbaijan with its enclave Nakhichevan through Armenian territory. This corridor is named the Trump Route for Peace and International Prosperity (TRIPP) and is to be developed exclusively by the United States.

However, the Islamic Republic has consistently opposed the corridor’s opening, known previously as the Zangezur corridor, even when Russia promoted it.  Tehran had already opposed the corridor’s reopening in the past and summoned the Russian ambassador to Iran in September after Moscow supported the corridor’s opening, despite being one of Iran’s key allies.

The corridor’s opening is a key part of the agreement, and the White House has stated that it will “allow seamless connectivity between the two countries, respecting the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and people of Armenia.”

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed the agreement on Friday at the White House, setting a roadmap to end nearly four decades of conflict in the South Caucasus region.

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