Kocharian claimed that it would only benefit Azerbaijan and Turkey and be used by the United States for stepping up pressure on neighboring Iran. “The TRIPP (Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity) is an Armenian-American project for Azerbaijan and Turkey,” he told a news conference. “The U.S. has zero economic interest in the South Caucasus, all of this is connected to one circumstance: Iran,” said Kocharian. Tehran has repeatedly expressed serious concern over the TRIPP, saying that it could put the Armenian-Iranian border at serious risk and lead to U.S. security presence there. But he has downplayed this fact, saying that Armenia would become a commercial transit hub and gain rail links with Iran and Russia.