Pan-Turkic Movements Support the “Zangezur Corridor,” Says Top Advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader

TEHRAN — The “Zangezur Corridor” project is supported by certain pan-Turkic movements, according to Ali Akbar Velayati, the top advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei on international affairs.

“The United States and Israel aim to harm Iran’s national security through the so-called ‘Zangezur Corridor’ project,” Velayati declared yesterday.

According to the senior Iranian official, the project hides a broader geopolitical agenda under the guise of the “Zangezur Corridor.” “The real objective is to weaken the ‘Axis of Resistance,’ sever Iran’s connection to the Caucasus, and impose a land blockade against Iran and Russia from the south,” he explained.

Velayati claims the project is supported not only by NATO and the United States—seeking to shift pressure from Ukraine to the Caucasus—but also by “certain pan-Turkic movements.”

Speaking about the geopolitical goals of the corridor promoted by Azerbaijan and Turkey, Velayati emphasized that Tehran has opposed these moves from the outset, making its position clear and firm. “Iran has deployed forces to the border and conducted preventive military exercises to demonstrate that national security is a red line for the country,” he said.

Velayati added that instead of responding passively, Iran has adopted an “active prevention” strategy, which he described as a smart and calculated approach.

Addressing the broader topic of “expanding transportation routes,” Iranian officials stated that “such plans must not contradict national sovereignty and territorial integrity, nor should they lead to any changes in the region’s geopolitics or internationally recognized borders.”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson also commented on the involvement of external powers in regional developments, saying Iran has clearly stated that such foreign interference does not benefit the region’s security or development.