Iran opposes Ankara’s influence from Nakhichevan to Caspian Sea – Dmitry Bridzhe

Speaking with Alpha News, political analyst Dmitry Bridzhe commented on Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s statement that peace in the Caucasus holds strategic importance.

“Iran emphasizes several principles: first, peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan; second, the inviolability of borders, which is a red line; and third, the position that any external arbitrators from outside the region only complicate matters. Therefore, Iran is naturally interested in regional stability—just like Turkey and Russia,” Bridzhe said.

According to the expert, the Iranian president’s statement is not just diplomatic courtesy in Yerevan but a signal about how Tehran envisions the security architecture of the South Caucasus following years of tectonic shifts.

He added that Iran is firmly against the creation of a continuous arc of Turkish influence stretching from Nakhichevan to the Caspian Sea.

“Iran consistently opposes any forced corridor solution that would sever its land connection with Armenia. For Tehran, the Iran-Armenia border is a strategic safeguard—it provides Iran with access to Eurasian markets while bypassing sanctions risks, maintains Armenia’s southern lifeline, and ensures friendly relations between Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Iran’s own northwestern provinces. Iran does not want to see a continuous arc of Ankara’s influence from Nakhichevan to the Caspian. Therefore, any project connecting mainland Azerbaijan must be framed as the unblocking of communications under the sovereignty of the host country—meaning Armenian jurisdiction, Armenian border guards, customs control, and mutual guarantees—not as an extraterritorial corridor,” Bridzhe concluded.