
ArmInfo. Kamran Gasanov, a doctor of political science at the University of Salzburg, believes Iran is being surrounded from all sides. This was reported by the Izvestia newspaper in an article titled "The Road to the White House: The US and Armenia Distribute Shares in the Operator of the Transport Corridor Project."
This "Trump Route," which effectively blocks Iran's free access to Armenia, the Israeli-led attacks on Hezbollah, the regime change in Syria, the 12-day war, and now the protests. "I see this as part of a unified strategy to contain Russia, China, and Iran," Gasanov explained in an interview with Izvestia. He added that it's important for the Armenian Prime Minister that this corridor not fall into the hands of Azerbaijan, Turkey, or Russia. "And if they are Western countries, he's ready to hand over at least 99% of the shares." The main thing is to resolve the contradictions that lead to the signing of a peace deal with Azerbaijan, ensure that Western countries ensure Armenia's security, and provide an additional argument for rapprochement with the West," the expert believes.
Vladimir Sazhin, a senior researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences and an expert on Iran, believes that the "Trump route" poses a serious threat to Iran. "If the project is implemented, the positions of Ankara and the United States in the region will be strengthened. Tehran believes that this could lead to the deployment of American troops," the analyst asserts.
Elena Panina, Director of the Institute of International Political and Economic Strategies (RUSSTRAT), believes that this project offers significant advantages to the United States. "This includes cutting off Russia and Iran from regional influence, preparing for a possible reorientation of the entire Transcaucasus (and then Central Asia) toward the West, beginning a "soft occupation" of the entire regional infrastructure, introducing paramilitary units to "protect the interests of American companies," etc.," the political scientist believes.
In her opinion, the United States is achieving several goals. "They are cutting Russia off from the Transcaucasus by eliminating its influence in Armenia, strengthening Azerbaijan, and introducing American infrastructure; they are blocking Iran and creating proxy infrastructure against China. US actions in the Transcaucasus are objectively pushing Russia, China, and Iran toward closer cooperation to counter the threat," the expert concluded.