“Armenia and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian are trustworthy for us, and we are in contact with them,” Seyed Hamid Pourmohammadi told reporters in Yerevan on Tuesday.
Asked by RFE/RL’s Armenian Service about the sharp criticism of Pashinian voiced recently by Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, Pourmohammadi said Iran’s official positions are expressed by its foreign minister and Foreign Ministry spokesman.
In an article published in the Iranian newspaper Ettela’at last week, Velayati accused Pashinian of increasing Armenia’s dependence on the West over the implementation of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), a U.S.-run transit corridor for Azerbaijan along Armenia’s border with Iran. He warned that the project could open “a new chapter of hostility and tensions in the South Caucasus.”
Asked about the apparent differences between various branches of the Iranian leadership, Pourmohammadi urged media to follow statements by the Foreign Ministry before outlining Tehran’s main concerns regarding regional developments.
“What is important for Tehran is that regional security and peace be ensured and maintained through the countries of the region,” he said. He added that Iran would support any steps helping preserve and strengthen regional peace and security and oppose those that undermine them.
Pourmohammadi declined to comment when asked whether Armenia’s sovereignty continued to constitute a red line for Iran, saying that he was responsible for economic affairs and that political questions should be addressed to politicians.
The Iranian vice president was in Yerevan on November 9-10 to attend a session of the joint Armenian-Iranian intergovernmental commission.
During his visit Pourmohammadi also met with Prime Minister Pashinian. According to the Armenian government’s press service, during their meeting on Monday the two officials discussed the development of border infrastructure, joint road construction projects, and cooperation in energy, agriculture, and other sectors.
Pourmohammadi’s visit followed a series of statements by Iranian government officials expressing confidence in Armenia’s assurances regarding TRIPP, despite Velayati’s criticism.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who visited Yerevan on October 16, said Tehran trusted Armenia and believed that the project would not compromise Iran’s security.
On November 9, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Armenia had assured Tehran that TRIPP would not involve the deployment of U.S. military forces in the region.
Baghaei also said Iran supported the removal of transport restrictions in the region but opposed geopolitical changes and alterations to internationally recognized borders.
On Monday, Armenian Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Davit Khudatian said Iran had no concerns about TRIPP, citing his contacts with Iranian counterparts.
“We work with our Iranian partners in an atmosphere of mutual trust. Judging by that work, I am confident that they have no concerns,” Khudatian told reporters.