Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh warned against foreign interference in regional affairs during talks Tuesday with Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikyan, who was visiting Tehran amid growing concerns about potential U.S. military action against Iran.
“The security of the region must be ensured through interaction and cooperation among regional countries, and Tehran is sensitive to the interference of extra-regional countries,” Nasirzadeh told Papikyan, according to Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency.
“Some interventions are driven by malicious intent and could threaten the region’s stability,” he added, in remarks widely seen as directed at the United States.
Iranian officials have issued similar warnings in recent years as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has sought to deepen Armenia’s engagement with Western partners amid strained ties with Russia, the country’s traditional ally. Tehran has also voiced concern over reported Armenian plans to allow a U.S.-administered transit corridor for Azerbaijan along the Armenian-Iranian border.
Iranian officials fear the proposed “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP) could threaten the border and potentially enable a U.S. security presence in the area. In December, a senior aide to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei described the project as a serious security risk for Iran. Yerevan has repeatedly insisted the corridor would not compromise Armenian sovereignty, but those assurances have not fully eased Iranian concerns.
“Armenia will never be the source or origin of any threat to its historical neighbor and believes that Iran’s stability guarantees the stability of the region,” IRNA quoted Papikyan as telling Nasirzadeh.
Armenia’s Defense Ministry released no detailed readout of the talks or Papikyan’s separate meeting with Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Abdolrahim Mousavi. It said only that the sides discussed Armenian-Iranian military cooperation and broader regional and international security issues.
Papikyan’s visit came as the United States continues deploying military assets to the Middle East in preparation for possible strikes against Iran. Official Yerevan has not publicly commented on that possibility, though the Iranian report suggested the issue was also discussed during the meetings.
“Iran does not seek war, but if war is imposed on the country, it will defend itself with full force and will teach the enemies a lesson they will not forget,” Nasirzadeh said.
