President Trump is making something of a name for himself a the Peace President. He's helped to negotiate an end to any number of brush-fire conflicts around the world - sadly, not with Russia and Ukraine yet. But one significant conflict he helped end was the long-standing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which had been going on since 1988.
The leaders of those two countries, as we reported, came to the White House and agreed to a deal to end the conflict. Both gave President Trump credit for his personal work to end the fight. Now, on Friday, we learn that the United States stands to gain a significant trade deal, too, with the U.S. being granted a 99-year lease to the critical Zangezur Corridor, now to be renamed the "Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP)".
President Donald Trump’s new deal in the South Caucasus has ended a decades-long conflict and handed Washington a rare strategic foothold on Iran’s northern border, experts say.
The agreement, signed earlier this month between Armenia and Azerbaijan, grants the U.S. a 99-year lease over the Zangezur Corridor - a narrow strip of land that will serve as a critical trade and energy route to Europe, bypassing Tehran entirely. Iranian American journalist and dissident Banafsheh Zand told Fox News Digital the move is "a wonderful gain for the U.S." that also delivers a "slap in the face" to the regime in Tehran.
The corridor has long been at the center of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which displaced tens of thousands and fueled three decades of instability. Trump’s intervention brought both sides to the table and created what observers say is a new trade and security lifeline linking the Caspian Basin to Europe, bypassing Iran entirely.
The route runs right along Iran's border, meaning that Iran literally has to sit and watch the trade of goods and energy flowing from the Caspian to Europe. Russia won't be too happy about it, either. The 25-mile corridor through Armenian territory connects Azerbaijan to the Azeri enclave of Nakhichevan and bypasses Iran. The deal should also lessen Russian influence in the area, which probably has Tsar Vladimir I gnashing his teeth some. It's a good deal for Armenia and Azerbaijan, it's a good deal for the United States, and it's... well, not so good for Iran and Russia, which is also good for the United States.
There are still reportedly details to be worked out. But the broad strokes are in place.
Zand said the deal is not only historic but also a direct win for Washington. "It’s a wonderful gain for the U.S.," she said. "American contractors will be supervising oil and gas from the Caspian Basin, routed through Zangezur and Turkey to Europe. The profit margins are great, and it all happens under NATO’s blessing."
Zand said the potential goes even further. "Nobody’s talking about it yet, but I don’t think it’s out of the question to see U.S. bases there," she said. "If that happens, then checkmate the Khamenei regime and Russia."
Now, President Trump's political opponents will go to great lengths to deny him any credit for any of this. But then, most of President Trump's political opponents couldn't find Armenia and Azerbaijan on a map if they had a team of cartographers looking over their shoulders.
Read More: Peace in the South Caucasus and POTUS's Comprehensive Approach to the China Problem
So, in one deal, President Trump helped negotiate an end to a 37-year conflict, secured American control of a critical trade route, reduced Russian influence in that part of the world, and stuck a thumb in the eyes of the mullahs running Iran. That's a good day's work by any measure.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
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