Cooperation between Iran and Armenia, including a $3 billion economic agreement and a secret arms deal, is causing serious concern among Israeli officials. Israeli officials warn that Armenia could become Tehran’s new proxy amid a strengthening alliance between the two countries.
Channel 7 writes about this.
Iranian Ambassador to Yerevan Mehdi Sobhani announced ambitious plans to increase trade volume with Armenia, which in 2023 amounted to only $693 million. Tehran’s stated goal is to increase the volume of cooperation by almost 4.5 times, which is causing concern in both Israel and the West. Experts say that this increase in economic ties may hide other, more worrying goals.
According to a report by Israel’s Alma Institute, Armenia serves as a key transit point for Iran to supply military equipment to Syria and Lebanon, ultimately targeting Israel. In addition, Iran International reported on a secret arms deal worth $500 million, which experts say could include the sale of drones to Armenia on an unprecedented scale.
MK Simon Moshiashvili expressed alarm in a letter to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, noting that the deal could include intelligence cooperation and the creation of Iranian military bases on Armenian territory. He stressed that this could not only be Iran’s response to the strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Israel, but also a step towards increasing hostile actions in the region.
Against a backdrop of strengthening ties with Iran, Armenia is also experiencing a rise in anti-Semitic sentiment. The country’s only synagogue was attacked, some of which were linked to the youth wing of ASALA, an Armenian paramilitary movement that expresses support for Hamas and Hezbollah.
Israeli experts are calling for closer monitoring of the growing cooperation between Yerevan and Tehran. The country is already actively discussing the threat posed by Armenia’s rapprochement with the Iranian “axis of evil.”
Earlier, Kursor wrote that Iran announced its readiness to support the Russian Federation in the war in Ukraine.
