Armenia, Iran to upgrade relations to strategic partnership

By Arshaluys Mgdesyan

Armenia and Iran are drafting a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement that could be signed during Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s planned visit to Tehran later this year, Iran’s ambassador to Armenia said on Wednesday.

Ambassador Khalil Shirgholami made the remarks at a reception in Yerevan, describing the prospective agreement as a step toward elevating bilateral ties to a strategic level.

Pashinyan had earlier said, without specifying a timeline, that Yerevan and Tehran were preparing to sign a document that would upgrade their relationship to strategic partnership. The ambassador said the timing of the prime minister’s visit is still being finalized, but confirmed it is on the bilateral agenda for this year.

“Last year, in August 2025, the president of Iran visited Armenia, and this year we should make sure that the Armenian prime minister pays a visit to Iran,” the ambassador said, referring to Masoud Pezeshkian’s trip to Yerevan. He added that both sides aim to make the upcoming visit substantive by turning the draft strategic partnership into concrete steps.

According to the diplomat, the draft agreement is currently under expert review in both countries and covers political cooperation, infrastructure and public-sector engagement. “We want this document to be practical and attach great importance to including fully actionable steps,” he said.

The announcement follows several weeks of tensions after the ambassador publicly criticized Armenian authorities for allowing demonstrations outside Iran’s embassy in Yerevan during anti-government riots in Iran. He had warned that if the protests succeeded, “one of the losers would also be Armenia,” and accused Yerevan of becoming “a center of anti-Iranian policies.”

Pashinyan later pledged to do “everything” to address Iran’s concerns. Local media later reported that Armenia’s National Security Service conducted what it described as “operational interviews” with participants in the protests.

Asked whether the recent issues had been resolved, the ambassador said most concerns had been addressed through cooperation with Armenian authorities.

“Even the closest of friends can be offended by each other; disagreements can arise between them, but they have been resolved,” he said.

Yerevan and Tehran have also been expanding cooperation in infrastructure and industry in recent years, areas likely to feature in the planned strategic agreement.

The ambassador highlighted the involvement of Iranian companies in Armenia’s economy, including work on a section of the North-South highway in Syunik province and the construction of a new cargo terminal on the shared border.

He said cooperation also extends to industry, noting Iran’s interest in joint mining projects, particularly for copper. One of Iran’s leading companies is active in Armenia in metal processing and steel production, he added.