While the U.S.-Iran negotiations dominate news cycles, President Donald Trump’s South Caucasus peace initiative has made groundbreaking progress in this region long dominated by Russia and Iran. This area is home to vast reserves of resources vital to American industries. It is also vital, as part of the trade route known as the “Middle Corridor,” for Western goods to get to Central Asia and rare earths metals and other resources needed by the West from Central Asia to be transported to the West without relying on Russia, Iran, or China. 

A peaceful, prosperous, and friendly South Caucasus is vital for containing Iran, competing with Russia and China, and growing the American economy, and the progress made so far needs to be carefully monitored and encouraged for the Trump Administration’s breakthrough to bring forward the progress and profits it promises. 

The Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, or TRIPP, is designed to connect the South Caucasus and link it to the West. TRIPP took off after the White House brokered diplomatic normalization between Armenia and Azerbaijan in August 2025, part of a long and difficult peace process. Generally, where trade flows, armies do not.

On June 7, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was re-elected. The election was a clear signal from the Armenian people in their national home that, after years of war, they are ready to make the compromises needed to achieve peace. Despite an intense........

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