Tehran Will Not Oppose TRIPP if Two Conditions Are Met, Iranian Ambassador Says

YEREVAN — Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Khalil Shirgholami said Tehran will not oppose the TRIPP communications project as long as it does not threaten Armenia’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty and does not create a security threat to Iran due to the involvement of the United States or American companies.

Responding to a question about TRIPP, Shirgholami referred to Iran’s previous position regarding the concept of the so-called “Zangezur Corridor.”

“Iran stood against the Zangezur issue. We even said that if one of the neighboring countries attempted to go beyond certain boundaries, we were prepared for more serious intervention,” he said.

According to the ambassador, that plan has, “at least outwardly,” been set aside and is no longer being raised. He noted that the TRIPP project currently under discussion does not fully reflect the objectives previously pursued by Azerbaijan and Turkey.

“At least the project being discussed at this stage does not fully reflect the objectives that Azerbaijan and Turkey were pursuing. What they wanted has not been achieved,” Shirgholami said.

He noted that Tehran considers it acceptable for Armenia to use its geographic and other advantages to serve as a hub for transportation and connectivity.

“In our discussions with Armenian officials, as well as in the text of this document, emphasis has been placed on preserving Armenia’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the ambassador said.

Shirgholami added that Iran approaches the issue of Armenia’s territorial integrity with particular sensitivity and views Syunik as a strategically important region both for Armenia and for maintaining Armenia-Iran connectivity.

According to him, TRIPP or any other project does not present a diplomatic problem as long as it does not objectively pose a threat to Armenian-Iranian relations or to Iran itself.

“Two issues are important. First, Armenia’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty, both now and in the future, must not be jeopardized in any way by this project, regardless of what name it carries,” Shirgholami said.

“Second, the presence of the United States or American companies in the Armenia-Iran border area must not, in any form, create a threat to the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he continued.

According to the ambassador, if these conditions are respected both now and in the future, and if the communications project benefits the people of Armenia, “the Islamic Republic of Iran sees no reason to oppose it.”

“We must wait and see whether these two important considerations will continue to be respected in the long term,” Shirgholami concluded.