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Trump delivered strategic blow to Iran regime with bold Azerbaijan-Armenia pact
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President Donald Trump’s new deal in the South Caucasus has ended a decades-long conflict and handed Washington a rare strategic foothold on Iran’s northern border, experts say.
The agreement, signed earlier this month between Armenia and Azerbaijan, grants the U.S. a 99-year lease over the Zangezur Corridor – a narrow strip of land that will serve as a critical trade and energy route to Europe, bypassing Tehran entirely. Iranian American journalist and dissident Banafsheh Zand told Fox News Digital the move is «a wonderful gain for the U.S.» that also delivers a «slap in the face» to the regime in Tehran.
The corridor has long been at the center of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which displaced tens of thousands and fueled three decades of instability. Trump’s intervention brought both sides to the table and created what observers say is a new trade and security lifeline linking the Caspian Basin to Europe, bypassing Iran entirely.
ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN LEADERS SEEK TO EASE RUSSIAN AND IRANIAN CONCERNS AFTER US-BROKERED PEACE DEAL
A view from Armenia’s southern border reveals the Arax River, with Iran visible across the water. This crossing is a vital lifeline for Armenia, facilitating essential trade and energy flows, especially as tensions rise over the proposed Zangezur Corridor. Iran strongly opposes the corridor, fearing it would sever its direct land access to Armenia and diminish its role as a regional transit hub. The corridor, intended to connect Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave through Armenian territory, has become a flashpoint in regional geopolitics. (Anthony Pizzoferrato/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
Known as the Trump Route for Peace & Prosperity (TRIPP), economically, the agreement secures Washington a direct role in overseeing the flow of Caspian hydrocarbons to Europe. The U.S. will manage rail and road infrastructure, telecom networks and energy pipelines running through the corridor, giving American companies a dominant position in regional transit for oil, gas and goods. By controlling this artery, the U.S. not only generates billions in future trade and investment but also locks Europe into alternative supply routes that reduce reliance on both Russia and Iran.
For allies, the corridor offers cheaper and safer access to Caspian energy. For Tehran, it represents lost revenue, lost leverage, and the end of its ability to act as a mandatory gatekeeper for east-west commerce.
Zand said the deal is not only historic but also a direct win for Washington. «It’s a wonderful gain for the U.S.,» she said. «American contractors will be supervising oil and gas from the Caspian Basin, routed through Zangezur and Turkey to Europe. The profit margins are great, and it all happens under NATO’s blessing.»
Zand said the potential goes even further. «Nobody’s talking about it yet, but I don’t think it’s out of the question to see U.S. bases there,» she said. «If that happens, then checkmate the Khamenei regime and Russia.»
TRUMP MAKES PEACE DEAL BETWEEN ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN
US President Donald Trump (C), Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev (L) and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan display the agreement they signed in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC on August 8, 2025. US President Donald Trump said Friday that Armenia and Azerbaijan were committed to a permanent peace as he hosted a White House summit with the leaders of the two South Caucasus nations, which have fought for decades. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
For Iran, the corridor represents what Zand called a nightmare scenario. Tehran has long used its geography to shape energy and trade flows. By inserting the U.S. into the region, the new deal effectively strips Iran of that leverage. Zand put it in stark terms: «Iran is shaped like a cat, a sitting cat. This corridor literally runs above the cat’s ears. It bypasses Iran, takes money away from the regime, and pushes them out into the cold.»
Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies Iran Program, said the corridor exposes how vulnerable Iran has become in the Caucasus. «Both the defeat of Armenia in the most recent war with Azerbaijan, as well as the political problems between Moscow and Yerevan today, have made it harder for the Islamic Republic to really benefit from its traditional economic and political relationship with Armenia,» he told Fox News Digital.
An infographic titled ‘Construction of roads and railways extending to the Zangezur Corridor continues without interruption.’ Once constructed, the corridor will connect Azerbaijan’s western provinces and Nakhchivan via Armenia, further stretching to China, Central Asia, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus and Turkey. (Yasin Demirci/Anadolu via Getty Images)
«They still do have ties, and the regime is an opportunistic actor as much as it is an ideological one. If there is any way to throw stones at this agreement, or extract concessions on the back end, they will try.»
At the same time, he said the strategic picture is clear. «The Islamic Republic is, in essence, carved out of this route,» he said. «This is not just a critical corridor that could bring stability to the South Caucasus and economic improvement for all countries involved-it also drives home the point that the regime has been such a poor guardian of Iran’s national interest that the Iranian state has been excluded from a major transit route just above its border.»
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei addresses the media during voting for parliamentary elections in Tehran, Iran in May 2024. (Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The timing, Zand argued, makes the impact even greater. She pointed to Iran’s weakening position since October 7, 2023, and Israel’s recent 12-day war with Tehran. «The regime was self-isolated when it couldn’t come to Hamas’s or Hezbollah’s rescue. Iraq’s Shiites are saying they don’t want to be controlled, Syria is out, and Hezbollah has been degraded. For those of us who’ve watched the regime for decades, we always knew it was a paper tiger. October 7 and the war exposed it to the world.»
The killing of senior IRGC commanders and nuclear scientists has deepened the sense of vulnerability inside Tehran. «They can huff and puff about blowing the house down, but the truth is, there’s a whole lot of fear among the regime’s leaders now,» Zand said. «Khamenei has even gone into hiding again.»
TRUMP BRINGS PEACE TO CAUCASUS: INSIDE THE ARMENIA–AZERBAIJAN DEAL 30 YEARS IN THE MAKING
Ben Taleblu added that Washington is now using these shifts to turn Iran’s weakness into opportunity. «Wherever the regime is weak, that invites pushback, whether militarily or economically,» he said. «The U.S. has followed Israel’s military success against the Islamic Republic with strikes of its own against nuclear facilities, and it is now following Azerbaijan’s battlefield success with a political and economic success of its own. This corridor is another example of America moving in when Tehran is most vulnerable.»
An aerial view of the construction of roads and railways that will pass through the Zangezur Corridor, which will connect the western provinces with Nakhchivan and will also be one of the routes of the Central Corridor extending from China to Central Asia, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus and Turkey. (Photo by Resul Rehimov/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Zand, whose father was a well-known Iranian journalist and intellectual assassinated by the regime, said she views Trump’s direct involvement as the key to the corridor’s success. «Because it’s Trump, it makes all the difference,» she said. «Trump doesn’t care about not hurting people’s feelings. He responds to how people act. And with this move, he’s sitting over Iran like a vulture-ominous, watching, ready.»
For dissidents like Zand, the corridor represents more than a transport route. «We’ve prayed for this for decades,» she said. «Until the regime is gone, people inside Iran will remain too afraid to rise up again. But this corridor is a boon. It shows the regime is surrounded, and its days are numbered.»
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The deal was reached with NATO backing and has already been compared by some observers to historic peace accords. Zand believes the significance lies not only in ending a 30-year conflict but also in turning the U.S. presence in the Caucasus into a permanent reality. «The regime knows the jig is up.»
iran,donald trump,asia,conflicts,global economy
INTERNACIONAL
2025, el año en que Bolivia tuvo una fuerte crisis económica y rompió la hegemonía de la izquierda tras 20 años del MAS
Bolivia vivió un 2025 marcado por una crisis económica iniciada años atrás, pero que terminó de agudizarse por la persistente falta de dólares y combustibles que dispararon la inflación, y que, además, fue determinante para el viraje político hacia el centro tras casi dos décadas de la izquierda en el poder.
La falta de divisas registrada desde 2023 ya se sentía en las restricciones a las transacciones bancarias en esa moneda y su encarecimiento en el mercado paralelo, donde el dólar este año llegó a costar 20 bolivianos frente a una cotización oficial de 6,96, fija desde 2011.
Las consecuencias se hicieron aún más evidentes en la elevada inflación, que entre enero y noviembre llegó a 19,69%, y en el desabastecimiento de combustibles que se volvió crónico, un problema que el Gobierno de Luis Arce (2020-2025) atribuyó a la falta de dólares por el “bloqueo” del anterior Legislativo a los créditos externos.
A esto se sumó el declive del sector de hidrocarburos, que hasta hace unos años fue el sustento de la economía boliviana, pero cuyas exportaciones entre enero y octubre alcanzaron los 945,4 millones de dólares, un 34% menos que en el mismo periodo de 2024.
Otros indicadores fueron el déficit comercial de 521 millones de dólares registrado entre enero y octubre y unas reservas internacionales de 3.277 millones de dólares hasta el 2 de diciembre, de los que apenas 75 millones son divisas y la mayoría es oro.
El Gobierno de Arce entregó el poder el pasado 8 de noviembre asegurando que dejaba una “economía estable”, ante lo cual las nuevas autoridades advirtieron que recibieron un país “devastado” y con un “mar de deudas” y de “corrupción” por los que responsabilizó al Ejecutivo saliente y a la Administración de Evo Morales (2006-2019).
Este año también estuvo marcado por la ruptura del Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS), por la pelea entre Arce y Morales por el control del partido que gobernó Bolivia durante casi 20 años y la candidatura para las elecciones generales.
La popularidad de Arce cayó por la crisis de la que el entonces gobernante responsabilizó a Morales, quien intentó forzar su candidatura pese a una disposición constitucional que se lo impide porque ya gobernó el país en tres ocasiones.
Inicialmente, Arce iba a buscar la reelección, pero declinó su candidatura en mayo con un llamado a la unidad de la izquierda, lo que no ocurrió porque, al no poder postular, Morales impulsó el voto nulo y su “heredero” político, Andrónico Rodríguez, participó por su cuenta en las elecciones.
El candidato del MAS fue el ex ministro de Gobierno Eduardo del Castillo, que apenas logró el porcentaje necesario para conservar la sigla.
Hace tres semanas, Arce fue encarcelado preventivamente por cinco meses, investigado por supuesta corrupción en su etapa de ministro en el Gobierno de Morales.
La sorpresa de los comicios generales del 17 de agosto fue el centrista Rodrigo Paz Pereira, quien lideró la primera vuelta y luego venció al ex presidente conservador Jorge Tuto Quiroga (2002-2002) en la inédita segunda vuelta del 19 de octubre, pese a que las encuestas preelectorales lo situaban inicialmente con escaso apoyo.
El político, de 58 años, fue investido presidente ante los mandatarios de Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay y Uruguay y una importante delegación de EEUU, país al que el nuevo Gobierno boliviano se acercó después del alejamiento que hubo durante las administraciones del MAS.
Además, Paz restableció las relaciones con Israel, rotas por Arce por el conflicto en Gaza, y se distanció de aliados del MAS, como Cuba, Nicaragua y Venezuela.
La primera medida fuerte del nuevo gobernante fue el reciente decreto que retiró la subvención a los combustibles que rigió por más de dos décadas y que, según las autoridades, ya era insostenible, una medida resistida por la Central Obrera Boliviana (COB) que fue aliada política del MAS.
Paz tiene una relación tensa con el vicepresidente Edmand Lara desde el triunfo en la segunda vuelta, pues el ex policía considera que lo marginaron del Gobierno, al que critica constantemente y acusa sin pruebas de supuesta corrupción, al punto de declararse en “oposición constructiva”.
(EFE)
Domestic,Politics,South America / Central America,Government / Politics
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Comer, House Oversight demand answers in Minnesota fraud hearing, call on Walz to testify
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Republicans on the House Oversight Committee are escalating their investigation into Minnesota’s sweeping fraud schemes, setting a hearing next week and demanding answers from Gov. Tim Walz’s administration over what they say were glaring failures of oversight.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., announced lawmakers would hold a hearing on Wednesday, Jan. 7, evaluating the fraud scandal, its scale and whether the state’s leadership could have done something to prevent exploitation from happening in the first place.
«Congress has a duty to conduct rigorous oversight of this heist and enact stronger safeguards to prevent fraud in taxpayer-funded programs, as well as strong sanctions to hold offenders accountable,» Comer said in a statement on Wednesday morning.
MINNESOTA’S NEW MEDICAID FRAUD PREVENTION FIX WON’T MAKE ‘ANY DIFFERENCE,’ FORMER FBI AGENT SAYS
Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chairman of the House Oversight Committee, pictured alongside Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, right. (Photo by Al Drago/Getty Images; Allison Robbert/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
While the committee will also hear testimony from lawmakers in Minnesota, Republican lawmakers believe it is the Walz administration that holds the answers on how the problem got so large.
«Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison have either been asleep at the wheel or complicit in a massive fraud involving taxpayer dollars in Minnesota’s social services programs. American taxpayers demand and deserve accountability for the theft of their hard-earned money,» Comer said.
The Committee will hear from Reps. Kristin Robbins, Walter Hudson and Marion Rarick — all Republican members of the Minnesota House of Representatives.
It’s unclear if Walz or Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison will accept the invitation.
SHIRLEY ASSOCIATE IN VIRAL VIDEO SAYS HE FILED CRIMINAL COMPLAINT AGAINST WALZ OVER DAYCARE FRAUD ALLEGATIONS
Democratic vice presidential nominee, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, speaks at a get-out-the-vote rally on Oct. 22, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
The hearing is a part of the committee’s own investigation into the Minnesota fraud, a separate effort from ongoing FBI probes.
The Oversight Committee’s announcement comes as new revelations about fraud in Minnesota reveal that the state could have lost as much as $9 billion through abuse of its government assistance programs.
In recent months, investigators have unearthed sweeping fraud schemes masquerading as daycare centers, medical providers, food assistance programs and more. By fabricating services or inflating the number of people they claimed to serve, the schemes allegedly siphoned billions in government funds.
«In addition to conducting transcribed interviews with Minnesota state officials, the House Oversight Committee will hold hearings on fraud in Minnesota’s social services programs to expose failures, identify solutions, and deliver accountability,» Comer said.
Given their size and frequency, lawmakers have raised questions about how a state’s lack of awareness of its own programs could have been so easily abused.
Comer believes the lawmakers who have agreed to testify before the committee will provide insight into the visibility of the fraud rings and whether Walz was made aware of their scale ahead of shocking reporting that made Minnesota’s shortcomings a matter of national attention.
MINNESOTA FRAUD COMMITTEE CHAIR CLAIMS WALZ ‘TURNED A BLIND EYE’ TO FRAUD WARNINGS FOR YEARS
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said Friday that former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would face contempt of Congress charges if they fail to cooperate with the panel’s Epstein probe. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
«Next week, we will hear from Minnesota state lawmakers who sounded the alarm on this fraud — and whose warnings were ignored by the Walz administration. This misconduct cannot be swept aside, and Congress will not stop until taxpayers get the answers and accountability they deserve,» Comer said.
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The Walz office did not respond to Fox Digital’s request for comment on whether he would attend next week’s hearing.
congress,politics,minnesota fraud exposed
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Año Nuevo 2026: un minuto de silencio por la masacre en Sídney pone el cierre a un 2025 marcado por el regreso de Trump y la guerra
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