Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has urgently called for strengthening ties with neighboring countries, including Armenia, describing closer cooperation as crucial to overcoming Western sanctions and boosting regional integration.
Speaking during a meeting with members of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission on Monday, July 28, Pezeshkian emphasized the importance of empowering local authorities in Iran’s border provinces to boost cross-border cooperation. “If we strengthen neighborhood relations, sanctions will become ineffective,” he said, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.
“Today more than ever, we need to improve ties with our neighboring and regional states,” the president added, listing Armenia alongside Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iraq, and Iran’s southern neighbors as countries with significant untapped potential for mutual cooperation.
Iran and Armenia have maintained historically close relations, particularly in the areas of trade, transit, and energy, all of which are now seen as increasingly strategic amid ongoing regional realignments.
Two days earlier, on Saturday, July 26, Pezeshkian also addressed senior diplomats at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran, where he reaffirmed Iran’s broader foreign policy direction. He said that Iranian diplomacy must demonstrate the country’s commitment to peace and constructive engagement with the world. The president expressed readiness to deepen ties with members of BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) — all blocs in which Armenia has either cooperative or observer roles.
Pezeshkian noted that Iran will continue working closely with Russia and China, but also intends to expand its relationships with European and regional countries based on principles of wisdom, dignity, and expediency.
