Varuzhan Geghamyan - Iran War, Zangezur Corridor, Nakhijevan Constitution | Ep 524, Mar 20, 2026 [EP524]

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Guest:

• Varuzhan Geghamyan

Topics:

• Iran at War
• The Northern Front: Turkey & Azerbaijan
• Changing Nakhichevan’s Constitution

Episode 524 | Recorded: March 19, 2026

#IranWar #VaruzhanGeghamyan #ZangezurCorridor #Syunik #ArmeniaGeopolitics

Show Notes

This episode examines the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran through a regional lens, focusing on the war’s broader strategic aims, Azerbaijan’s possible role as a northern pressure point against Iran, Turkey’s ambiguous posture, and Armenia’s growing vulnerability in the middle of these shifts. The conversation also looks at the geopolitical meaning of the TRIPP or “Zangezur Corridor” project, the recent centralization of control over Nakhijevan, and Varuzhan Geghamyan’s new book on the historical roots and present danger of the corridor agenda.

Main Topics Addressed

• The current state of the US-Israeli war on Iran, and the question of whether military escalation has strengthened rather than weakened Iran.
• Whether Washington and Tel Aviv are pursuing the same war aims, or whether their objectives diverge at the strategic level.
• Azerbaijan’s deep military and energy relationship with Israel, and its potential role in opening or supporting a northern front against Iran.
• The political and military meaning of the March 5 incident at Nakhichevan International Airport, and why tensions rose and then quickly subsided.
• Azerbaijan’s constitutional amendments reducing Nakhijevan’s autonomy, and the significance of removing references to the Moscow and Kars treaties.
• Tensions and contradictions within the Turkey-Azerbaijan relationship, especially over Israel, Iran, and pan-Turkic ambitions.
• Turkey’s double game, anti-Israel rhetoric in public, continued strategic cooperation in practice, and possible long-term aims regarding Iran.
• Armenia’s exposure to regional pressure through the TRIPP or “Zangezur Corridor” framework, and whether current policy leaves the country more secure or more vulnerable.
• Varuzhan Geghamyan’s new book, The Armenian Wedge in the Path of Turan: The Issue of the “Zangezur Corridor”, and its argument that the corridor is part of a much older Turkish-Azerbaijani geopolitical project.

Key Questions Discussed

• Why are we in this war, and what larger strategic logic is driving it?
• Are the US and Israel pursuing the same outcome in Iran?
• What should we make of Azerbaijan’s behavior during the war, especially around the Nakhijevan airport incident?
• Did that incident represent a real attack, a warning, or a false flag meant to trigger a new front?
• Has Aliyev already made Azerbaijan a functional combatant, or at least a target, in Tehran’s eyes?
• What is the significance of Azerbaijan stripping Nakhijevan of key elements of its autonomous status?
• Why were references to the Moscow and Kars treaties removed now?
• Do Turkey and Azerbaijan view the Iran war the same way, or do their interests diverge?
• Is Azerbaijan’s Israeli and American alignment a concern for Turkey, or part of a broader shared strategy?
• What are Turkey’s real plans regarding Iran, behind its peace rhetoric?
• Could the TRIPP route become a military or logistics corridor in the context of war with Iran?
• Is Armenia’s current “diversification” policy a smart balancing act, or is it weakening the country’s remaining deterrents?
• What is the central argument of Varuzhan’s new book, and how has it been received?
• Will the book be translated into English?

Referenced Articles & Sources

• MAIRD Hosts Book Presentation of “The Armenian Wedge in the Path of Turan: The Issue of the Zangezur Corridor”
• Varuzhan Geghamyan on the Anti-Azerbaijani Wave in Turkish Media
• Nakhchivan Loses Autonomy in New Constitutional Amendments
• How to get Prof. Geghamyan’s books:
  • In Armenian: Թուրանի ճանապարհի Հայկական սեպը․ Զանգեզուրի միջանցքի հիմնահարցը
  • In English: The Armenian wedge on the Turan road: The issue of the Zangezur Corridor

Wrap-up

That’s our show! We hope you found it useful. Please find us on Social Media and follow us everywhere you get your Armenian news.

Thanks to Laura Osborn for the music on our podcasts.

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