ALWAGHT- According to Ali Akbar Velayati, a top adviser to Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the Caucasus has historically acted as Iran’s strategic security buffer, a function it has fulfilled since the time of Cyrus the Great.
In a post on his X account on Saturday, Ali Akbar Velayati drew on Quranic references to Dhul-Qarnayn, noting that renowned scholars such as Allameh Tabatabaei have identified this figure with Cyrus the Great.
He highlighted that, according to the accounts of Greek historian Herodotus, Cyrus built fortifications in the Caucasus to protect Iran from nomadic invasions, underscoring the region’s historic role as a defensive frontier.
Velayati rejected the proposed “Zangezur corridor” linking Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan, warning it would endanger security in the South Caucasus. He further stressed that Iran will oppose the establishment of any US-backed corridor in the region, regardless of whether Moscow supports Tehran’s stance.
