The top Iranian military official says the presence of extra-regional powers such as the United States is a matter of concern for the Caucasus region.

Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi made the remarks in a meeting with Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan in Tehran on Saturday.

He said Iran welcomes a US-brokered peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. However, he pointed out that the history of the US's negative role in the region necessitates mechanisms to alleviate concerns.

On August 8, Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a US-brokered peace agreement in Washington, under which a transport corridor linking Azerbaijan to its landlocked exclave Nakhchivan is to be established.

Under the deal, Armenia granted exclusive rights to the United States to develop a corridor in its southern province of Syunik, which borders Iran, to connect Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan.

Iran has long opposed the idea, saying it would change the geopolitical order of the Southern Caucasus and would restrict Iran’s ability to use transport networks in the region.

The top Iranian general further pointed to historical and cultural commonalities between Tehran and Yerevan and stressed the importance of strengthening security cooperation.

Grigoryan, for his part, said the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace deal is in line with Armenia’s “Crossroads of Peace” initiative.

He stressed the importance of preserving Armenia’s sovereignty over the Syunik corridor and making efforts to prevent any negative impact on Yerevan’s relations with Tehran.

Both sides called for the expansion of military cooperation between the two countries.

Earlier in the day, Grigoryan met with Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani and President Masoud Pezeshkian.