While limited and transactional cooperation mechanisms may emerge between Tehran and Riyadh, a deeper and more enduring strategic alignment between the two countries remains improbable in the near term.

For Tehran, the Zangezur Corridor thus represents less a binary choice between obstruction and acquiescence than a test of its ability to align strategic red lines with policy innovation.

China and Russia, the influential powers in the SCO, have abandoned their reservations in their relations with Iran in recent years and established a more comprehensive relationship.