Thomas de Waal says Iran war has complicated the rollout of TRIPP

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said last week that the war involving Iran would not delay the rollout of the TRIPP project and that it would soon move into a practical phase. In official statements, Pashinyan said Armenia had no reason to delay the project and expected major developments linked to its launch in the near future.

But Carnegie Europe senior fellow Thomas de Waal said the war around Iran had created new risks for the U.S.-backed route, which is meant to link mainland Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan through southern Armenia and form part of a broader Middle Corridor between Asia and Europe.

De Waal argued that fighting near Iran’s border would make it harder to deploy U.S. specialists on the ground and could deter the private investors Washington hopes to attract alongside its initial backing. He also said a prolonged conflict could strengthen rival transit options and give other regional players, including Russia and Georgia, more room to push competing ideas.

At the same time, he said U.S. interest in TRIPP was unlikely to fade because the project remains an important part of Washington’s South Caucasus strategy. Carnegie described the deal as a major U.S.-sponsored connectivity initiative designed to support both trade and the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process.

N.Tebrizli