United States reaffirms commitment to TRIPP project

The administration of Donald Trump remains committed to the TRIPP connectivity project despite recent regional tensions involving Iran, the U.S. State Department told Armenia’s state news agency Armenpress on Thursday

“The Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity remains a top priority for the United States, with the potential to unleash peace and prosperity in the South Caucasus region and beyond. The Trump Administration remains committed to making TRIPP a reality,’’ the State Department said in the comment. 

TRIPP is a connectivity project agreed upon last August, expected to provide passage for cargo and passengers between Azerbaijan and its Nakhichevan exclave through Armenia's southern Syunik region, as well as a direct connection between Syunik and central Armenia through Nakhichevan. According to the plan, the infrastructure will include a railway and a highway, with Armenia retaining sovereignty over all of its territory, while the United States acts as a neutral third party intermediary.

Importantly, no U.S. troops are expected to be deployed on the ground, with mediation described as purely economic and technical. In its comment, Washington also noted that it has already made an initial commitment of $145 million toward the project.

Also read: EXPLAINER: New details behind the ‘Trump Route’ deal

There had been concerns in recent weeks that the U.S. war against Iran could sideline the project or prompt a stronger response from Tehran. 

“Officials both in Yerevan and Baku have told me and my colleagues [...] that they are worried the [Iran] war will take critical U.S. attention away from TRIPP,” Joshua Kucera, the senior analyst for the South Caucasus at the International Crisis Group, wrote in an article published on Wednesday.

Prior to the outbreak of hostilities, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian maintained that while an American presence near Iran’s borders is unwelcome, Tehran’s concerns had been taken into account. Iran has so far not indicated whether the U.S. attacks are going to affect its stance on TRIPP.

As the Iran issue currently dominates U.S. foreign policy, further advancement of the project should be expected to resume at a later stage.