Moscow sees 'potential', Tehran 'strongly' opposes Zangezur Corridor

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has voiced his strong opposition to the proposed Zangezur Corridor — a crucial link connecting mainland Azerbaijan with its autonomous region of Nakhchivan, Tehran Times said.

Raisi termed the establishment of the corridor a threat to the national security of countries in the region, citing the linkway will be used as a platform for the presence of NATO in the region, Tehran Times quoted the Iranian president as saying.

Iran is at loggerheads with the US and its NATO allies.

Raisi's statement regarding the Zangezur Corridor has coincided with Russia putting its weight behind the project, calling it as having "significant potential" for moving towards the normalisation of ties between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The work on the implementation of the project is being carried out in the trilateral Armenian-Azerbaijani-Russian working group, headed by deputy prime ministers of the three countries, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters on Wednesday.

The group considers the corridor project to restore the transport route that connects Azerbaijan with the Nakhchivan exclave through the Syunik region of Armenia, she said.

"We see in the implementation of this project a significant potential for moving towards normalisation of relations between Yerevan and Baku. Everything depends on the political will of the countries and the willingness to reach specific agreements."