It has not retreated on Hormuz, describes a return to pre-war conditions as no longer possible, and asserts absolute sovereignty and initiative in the strait.

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.