Ali Akbar Velayati, adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader on international affairs, warned the United States and its allies against crossing what Tehran considers its strategic red line in the South Caucasus, following Armenia's parliamentary approval of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP). In an article titled published in the Iranian newspaper Ettelaat on 5 November and addressed to Nikol Pashinyan, Velayati framed the approval of the project as a futile decision that runs counter to the interests of the Armenian people.

Velayati accused Pashinyan's government of deepening hostility between Armenia and Azerbaijan, identifying it as one of the harmful consequences of the government's policies. Velayati also described Armenia's relations with Azerbaijan, Iran and Türkiye, and potentially Georgia, as unstable and unpredictable. He criticised Yerevan's growing alignment with the policies of the United States, France and the United Kingdom, warning that this direction could create further tensions in the South Caucasus.

Emphasising Tehran's position on regional security, Velayati declared that “Iran considers itself responsible for maintaining security in the South Caucasus, with or without Russia's participation”. Velayati cited the July 2022 summit in Tehran involving the leaders of Iran, Russia and Türkiye, during which Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warned Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that Tehran would oppose any attempt to block the Armenian-Iranian border, which he called a historic transport and communication route.

Velayati also warned Armenia against assuming that Russia's involvement in the war in Ukraine would lead Moscow to reduce its attention to security developments in the South Caucasus. According to Velayati, he had raised the issue in separate meetings with Armenia's Deputy Foreign Minister and ambassador to Tehran, adding that Iran would not allow a security vacuum to emerge in the region. Referring to his message to the Armenian ambassador, he wrote: “If Trump and his allies attempt to cross this red line of Iran, we will break their legs.”

The recent comments came as Armenia advanced preparations for implementing TRIPP. On 5 November, the government proposed an extraordinary parliamentary session for 12 November to consider a seven-bill legislative package establishing the legal framework for the project's implementation company. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan confidence that Azerbaijani cargo would eventually transit Armenia through TRIPP and other regional infrastructure projects.