Iran’s Threat to the U.S.: How They Could Derail Trump’s Historic Peace Deal

A regional peace initiative crafted by U.S. President Donald Trump between Azerbaijan and Armenia has encountered direct threats from Tehran on its first day.

According to the plan, which resulted in another historic peace agreement between the two long-time adversaries, a new transportation corridor is set to be established in southern Armenia, directly connecting Azerbaijan to the exclave of Nakhchivan, and from there to Turkey.

The White House announced that the U.S. will receive exclusive development rights along this route, which is expected to serve as a transit corridor for energy exports and resources.

The move, celebrated in Washington as a significant step toward a final peace agreement between Baku and its historic rival Yerevan, has raised concerns in Iran, which shares a border with the region. Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader, warned that Tehran would not allow geopolitical changes near its borders and declared that the corridor would not be built.

At the same time, Iran’s Foreign Ministry sent a dual message: principled support for regional peace, coupled with a stern warning against foreign interference by the U.S.

On Friday, Trump hosted Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who jointly declared their commitment to ending decades of conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. Russia, the long-time mediator in the region, was left out of the discussions, despite its forces being stationed along the Armenia-Iran border.

In Moscow, officials expressed support for the talks but called for an “internal” solution, involving neighboring countries, to avoid scenarios where the West fails as a mediator. Turkey, a close ally of Azerbaijan, also joined the supporters of the peace effort.

The conflict between the two countries over Nagorno-Karabakh erupted in the late 1980s and led to decades of fighting and broken ceasefires. Last year, Azerbaijan reclaimed the entire territory, and most of its Armenian inhabitants fled. Baku now speaks of a new era of peace but has conditioned a final agreement on constitutional changes in Armenia and the removal of sovereignty claims over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Meanwhile, President Trump is strengthening his image as a global peacemaker, hoping that this time he will be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, while peace in the Middle East seems further away than ever.