Trump Secures Zangezur Corridor Deal Between Armenia and Azerbaijan

In a landmark US-brokered peace summit, President Donald Trump announced that Armenia has handed over control of the strategic Zangezur Corridor to the United States for 99 years, rebranding it the "Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity."

'Armenia and Azerbaijan were at war for 35 years, now they are friends'

President Donald Trump presided over a historic three-way summit in Washington with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, announcing a wide-ranging peace agreement that includes exclusive American control over a 40-kilometer segment of the Zangezur Corridor running through Armenian territory. The corridor will now be managed by a US company for a 99-year period and renamed the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, or TRIPP.

"The United States will rent the Zangezur Corridor for 99 years. It’s the Trump Route — for peace and prosperity," President Trump declared.

Key points of the trilateral agreement

• The US, Armenia, and Azerbaijan signed a trilateral peace treaty.
• The Zangezur Corridor will be transferred to an American private company for 99 years.
• The US removed long-standing military cooperation restrictions on Azerbaijan.
• Separate bilateral agreements were signed for cooperation in energy, trade, and artificial intelligence.

Washington intends to sublease the corridor to a US-led consortium that will develop railways, pipelines, and fiber-optic networks along the route. The project will be secured by US private military companies, increasing American influence in the Caucasus region.

Zangezur Corridor: A Strategic Link

The Zangezur Corridor is a proposed mountain route linking mainland Azerbaijan with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic through Armenia’s Syunik Province. Its realization would enable a direct road from Baku to Turkey, enhancing connectivity to Central Asia.

During the Soviet era, a rail line and highway connected these regions, but Armenia dismantled the infrastructure after the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Azerbaijan has long demanded unrestricted access through Armenian territory, which Yerevan saw as a threat to its sovereignty and border with Iran.

"The corridor must be opened whether Yerevan wants it or not," Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in 2021 — a position long supported by Turkey.

Pressure from Washington tipped the scales

Under intense diplomatic pressure from Washington, Armenia agreed to cede management of the corridor to a US entity. In return, the US has pledged security guarantees and long-term economic aid to Armenia. The agreement is expected to benefit both Baku and Yerevan by avoiding further escalation and opening new trade routes.

According to sources cited by Politico, the Biden and Trump administrations worked in tandem to break the deadlock, culminating in the "TRIPP Peace Summit" held in the White House.

US presence in the Caucasus grows

The agreement marks a strategic shift in the region. With the corridor under US control, America will gain a direct logistical foothold between the Caspian and the Black Seas. This development is expected to weaken Iranian and Russian influence while enhancing US alliances with Turkey, Israel, and Azerbaijan.

"This is a geopolitical earthquake. Iran is furious, and Russia is sidelined," said an unnamed diplomat quoted by Axios.

Azerbaijan may join Abraham Accords

In exchange for US guarantees and lifted restrictions, Washington hopes that Azerbaijan will officially join the Abraham Accords — the normalization deals with Israel championed by Trump’s first administration. Azerbaijan already has a close defense partnership with Israel and played a tacit role in the country’s tensions with Iran.

This move could significantly alter the strategic calculus in the Middle East and the South Caucasus, while simultaneously reassuring Yerevan of Washington’s long-term support.