Construction on a trade corridor seen as the lynchpin of the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace deal is facing a delay, according to a top Azerbaijani official.

The provisional peace agreement was signed in Washington in August 2025. At that time, the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) had been expected to begin construction by the end of 2026. But in comments published by the Russian news agency Interfax, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov acknowledged what was becoming increasingly obvious; work will not start on TRIPP until 2027.

TRIPP will carve a trade corridor through approximately 42 kilometres (26 miles) of Armenian territory to connect Azerbaijan’s mainland to its Nakhchivan exclave, then integrate into Turkey’s rail and road system. The route is envisioned as a key link in the emerging Middle Corridor trade network. The United States and Armenia in early 2026 signed a framework agreement covering TRIPP’s development, but vital operational details remain to be determined. The United States under that agreement will enjoy a controlling interest in the corridor.

Bayramov tried to put a positive spin on the delay, saying that “according to the information we've received, the [US-Armenian negotiating] process is proceeding successfully.” He added that Azerbaijan is continuing work to upgrade the Nakhchivan section of TRIPP.

Bayramov’s comments followed a September 8 meeting in Baku involving senior US and Azerbaijani diplomats, including the US Chargé d'Affaires to Armenia David Allen and US Chargé to Azerbaijan Amy Carlon. TRIPP, along with the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process in general, was the focus of the discussions, Azerbaijan’s state news agency Azertag reported.

Earlier in September, reports circulated in Armenia that Iran, Yerevan’s southern neighbor, had issued a threat that could complicate TRIPP negotiations, centreing on who provides security and operational oversight for the trade route.

Preliminary plans envisaged American contractors as filling those roles in an effort to finesse a dilemma under which Armenia insists on retaining sovereignty over the route while Azerbaijan demands that their citizens and vehicles enjoy an extraterritorial right of passage. 

Iran, which is locked in a quagmire conflict with the United States, reportedly let Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan know that it will not tolerate an American presence in the TRIPP corridor, which is envisioned as traversing territory near the Iranian border. If American personnel appear in the corridor, they would become a “legitimate target” in Iranian eyes, the News.am website reported.

This article first appeared on Eurasianet here.