Iranian press review: US-brokered Azerbaijan-Armenia deal a 'great betrayal'

Meanwhile, Iranian politician calls Israel a water thief, rice hoarding scandal highlights corruption, and nuclear negotiations slammed

US President Donald Trump participates in a trilateral signing with Armenia's PM Nikol Pashinyan (right) and Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, in Washington DC on 8 August 2025 (Reuters)

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'A graveyard for Trump's mercenaries'

The agreement reached at the White House between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to secure peace in the South Caucasus has provoked fury among Iranian conservatives, with one saying the region will be turned into a “graveyard for Trump’s mercenaries”.

Iranian politicians have hit out at the plan to create the Zangezur corridor – a proposed land link between Azerbaijan and its autonomous exclave, Nakhchivan – with the involvement of US forces.

The plan also involves the corridor being developed by American companies and rebranded the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (Tripp).

Ali Akbar Velayati, international affairs adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said: “Is the South Caucasus an unclaimed area that Trump can rent? The Caucasus is one of the most sensitive regions in the world. This passage will not become a corridor owned by Donald Trump, but a graveyard for Trump’s mercenaries.”

The Kayhan daily echoed Velayati, writing: “Finally, both Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to this great betrayal! They have opened the path to create a military and intelligence base for the United States and Israel in the north of our country.”

Kayhan, which is run by hardline groups close to Iran’s supreme leader, also called for the Strait of Hormuz to be closed to US and Israeli ships.

Ali Bagheri Kani, a member of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, also condemned the deal, saying, “This is not an issue Iran can easily ignore… Foreigners, especially the United States, wanting to enter the Caucasus region is unacceptable to Iran.”

Tensions between Tehran and Baku had already worsened before the agreement, when Iran accused Israel of using Azerbaijani airspace during the 12-day Iran-Israel war.

Israel branded ‘world’s number one water thief’

In response to a video from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Iran’s water crisis, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf called Israel “the world’s number one water thief”.

Netanyahu has released several videos addressing the Iranian people since the start of Israel’s attacks on Iran. In his latest message, he referred to the country’s water and electricity shortages and urged Iranians to rise up against their government.

Israel counts high cost of Iran war as censorship masks full damage

He also said that if Iran’s government falls, Israel would be ready to share its expertise to solve the water crisis.

Qalibaf responded on X, accusing Israel of stealing water from neighbouring countries and comparing its policies to those of the Nazis in World War Two.

Referring to Israeli strikes during the 12-day war that hit a water treatment facility in northern Tehran, he wrote: “The 21st century Nazis struck the main water artery of northern Tehran in Tajrish Square with missiles in broad daylight to cut off water to the city.

“In the occupied territories and in Gaza, these same criminals have been the world’s number one water thieves for years, using thirst as a weapon to kill Palestinians,” he said. “Their crimes are always louder than their nonsense.”

Rice hoarding scandal highlights corruption

The discovery of 4,000 tonnes of hoarded rice, worth about $1m, has again fuelled debate in Iran over economic corruption and rent-seeking.

The rice was uncovered at a time when prices for some basic goods had been rising in the days following the 12-day war with Israel, and local media had reported shortages of certain items.

'The Iranian economy is caught in a cycle of state control, rent-seeking, and institutional corruption'

– Arman daily newspaper

The Arman daily wrote that the hoarding of essential goods was not linked to the war with Israel, but was instead the result of deep-rooted corruption and Iran’s closed economy.

“The Iranian economy is caught in a cycle of state control, rent-seeking, and institutional corruption,” the daily wrote.

Economist Mehdi Pazuki told the newspaper: “We now have a rent-seeking class that is waging a full-scale economic war against Iran. This group controls the economy through income from a closed system.”

Former nuclear negotiator rejects US talks

Saeed Jalili, the supreme leader’s representative on the Supreme National Security Council, has criticised moderators who support resuming nuclear talks with the United States and other western countries, calling President Masoud Pezeshkian’s policies ineffective.

Jalili, a politician close to Iran’s hardliners and a former senior negotiator with the West, pointed to the recent Iran-Israel war as a victory for Iran and said that restarting talks would be a mistake.

“You have defeated that arrogance that used all its power. You have reached a new stage, and then, only a few days later, some of you say let’s go back to the same path [of negotiations],” Jalili said.

He also attacked moderate groups that claim that talks with the US would remove the threat of war and bring economic benefits.

“You said several trillion dollars of capital would come. But in this recent round of talks, in the middle of the negotiation, you see America and its offspring, with all the shamelessness it has, attacking you,” he said.

Iranian Press Review

Tehran

US-brokered Azerbaijan-Armenia deal a 'great betrayal': Iranian press review

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