Massive Military Buildup! Russia and Iran Prepare to Intervene!

The South Caucasus is entering a new phase of geopolitical contest, where peace initiatives and trade corridors collide with entrenched regional power interests. The US-brokered Zangezur Corridor, linking Azerbaijan to Turkey through Armenia, is more than a transport route—it represents a reordering of influence in a region long shaped by Russian dominance and Iranian leverage. For Yerevan and Baku, the corridor offers a path out of perpetual conflict and into integration with Western-backed networks of trade and security. For Moscow and Tehran, however, it threatens the erosion of their strategic footholds, undermining both military presence and economic leverage. What unfolds in this corridor will test whether Armenia and Azerbaijan can consolidate peace under Western auspices, or whether external powers will succeed in derailing it through pressure, destabilization, or force. At its core, the contest is less about infrastructure than about who defines the South Caucasus’ future alignment—toward sovereignty and integration, or back into spheres of control.