I can see why some might be confused, but, the US interest in that area is pretty straightforward. Dominance for the empire and destabilization for other nations.
Below is an oped from CommonSpace.eu, 22 July 2025
Onnik James Krikorian
For the first time in 31 years of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, the situation feels more unpredictable than ever. In the past, there was a grim certainty that another war would erupt just as it did in September 2020 while peace, on the other hand, always seemed distant.
In recent weeks, comments from U.S. President Donald Trump that it was almost a done deal simply solicited disagreement among analysts and political commentators.As if that wasn’t confusion enough, and although both Baku and Yerevan have said that the 10 July meeting between the leaders in Abu Dhabi was constructive, another issue has emerged unexpectedly to distract and deflect attention.What began seemingly as speculation by a prominent U.S. think tank on 1 July now appears to be gaining traction. Washington might have proposed that an American company manage any transit route from Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan, running through Armenia, as envisaged by the November 2020 ceasefire statement. The situation was further muddled by
the article in question appearing more focused on the need for Washington to push Ankara to open its border in the north.However, the southern route, referred to as the “Zangezur Corridor” in Azerbaijan and Turkiye, would place the U.S. in direct proximity to Iran and Russian FSB border guards deployed in precisely the same area. Tehran has consistently warned that it will not tolerate any geopolitical changes on its border. The original article also suggested that an anonymous U.S. official opined that President Trump could win a Nobel Peace Prize if he helped facilitate the route.
This idea of Trump winning a Nobel Peace Prize for anything is deranged
This raised eyebrows given that several other ethnic Armenian commentators had pushed the same incentive of the coveted prize, though not guaranteed, since the beginning of June if he were to support Armenia’s position on unblocking regional communications. Again, the main focus was convincing or even pressuring Turkiye to open its border with Armenia before an agreement to normalise relations between Baku and Yerevan is signed. Ankara currently refuses to do so unless one is.
Recall my saying if anyone wanted the US involved in this area it was Armenia after having made a sharp turn towards the west. Not Turkey, or Iran. Not Azerbaijan. Not Russia.
However, the southern route, referred to as the “Zangezur Corridor” in Azerbaijan and Turkiye, would place the U.S. in direct proximity to Iran and Russian FSB border guards deployed in precisely the same area. Tehran has consistently warned that it will not tolerate any geopolitical changes on its border. The original article also suggested that an anonymous U.S. official opined that
President Trump could win a Nobel Peace Prize if he helped facilitate the route.This raised eyebrows given that several other ethnic Armenian commentators had pushed the same incentive of the coveted prize, though not guaranteed, since the beginning of June if he were to support Armenia’s position on unblocking regional communications. Again, the main focus was convincing or even pressuring Turkiye to open its border with Armenia before an agreement to normalise relations between Baku and Yerevan is signed. Ankara currently refuses to do so unless one is. (Ankara will not open the border until there is an agreement between Baku and Yerevan)
The articles also suggested that such a move could isolate Iran in the region, sideline Russia, and contain emerging Chinese ambitions. For many analysts in Armenia and Azerbaijan, this potential geopolitical escalation is precisely what the current bilateral track, suggested first by Baku in October 2023, sought to avoid. Since then there has reportedly been greater progress than earlier attempts by the EU, U.S., and Russia since 2021. All three had previously been criticised in the past.
The intention was to avoid the geopolitical escalation. First suggested by Baku, to avoid isolating Iran, sidelining Russia and containing China. Yet, Armenia has been working with the Americans, including promoting a potential Nobel Peace Prize for Trump- Sounds just like Netanyahu.
Domestically, Pashinyan appears increasingly determined to remove the Russian FSB from the same route the U.S. would oversee. The recent move against Samvel Karapetyan, an Armenian-Russian oligarch, has also been seen similarly. Pashinyan threatened to nationalise the electricity distribution network the businessman controls. This echoed an idea offered by a Yerevan analyst over a year ago that nationalising the Armenia-Iran gas pipeline could wrest it from Moscow’s control.
Meanwhile, both Azerbaijan and Turkiye reportedly oppose the U.S. proposal. At the weekend, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev reiterated that Baku expects unhindered transit through Armenia and that it will not permit a U.S. company to operate on its own territory. He further stated that Armenia would not become a transit country, likely a reference to Pashinyan’s ambiguous “Crossroads of Peace” proposal introduced as an alternative to Baku’s “Zangezur Corridor.”
Azerbaijan will not allow its territory to be used by any nation to target a third party, including its neighbor Iran, Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said on Saturday in a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Seyyed Abbas Araghchi.
Back to the CommonSpaceoped
In parallel, pro-Pashinyan voices on social media have ramped up pressure on Washington, urging sanctions against Baku if it rejects the U.S. deal. They also continue to press the U.S. to pressure Ankara to open the Armenia-Turkiye border before the peace treaty is signed. Aliyev instead revealed that Baku prefers to initial the agreement until the two main sticking points are resolved
Moreover, there is little clarity on whether Washington intends to pursue this plan while other Armenian commentators suggest it is less about logistics and more about the U.S. taking on the role of a security guarantor, not unlike its recent deal with Ukraine on minerals. At least one Azerbaijani analyst believes this a trap set by Yerevan to sour Baku’s relations with Moscow further.
There are several more paragraphs to be read from the oped- Find them at the opening link.