Carnegie Endowment: Prolonged war in Iran threatens Trump Route project

Published: 2026-03-17 10:27

"A prolonged war, however, also threatens a key shared interest of Armenia and Azerbaijan: the TRIPP project, a U.S.-backed transit route linking Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave through Armenian territory. Brokered by Washington in August 2025, the initiative is considered economically and strategically important for both countries, and a recent visit by U.S. Vice President JD Vance raised hopes for faster implementation. Continued war in Iran would likely delay progress," writes the U.S. think tank Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

"Critics in Armenia will argue that major political change in Iran could weaken the project’s geopolitical rationale and reduce U.S. interest, as a pro-U.S. Iran would diminish its strategic logic. Conversely, prolonged instability or regime survival in Iran could make the route more necessary for both countries as an alternative transit option in an increasingly fragile regional environment," the think tank adds.

By Azerbaijani-Israeli Alliance Global News